On Thursday, Darryl “D.M.C.” McDaniels, founder of iconic rap group Run-DMC and owner of the Run-DMC brand, filed a $50 million lawsuit against Amazon.com Inc. AMZN, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. WMT, and Jet.com, which is owned by Walmart, as well as some of their respective business partners, for trademark infringement.
The lawsuit alleges that the retailers were selling a wide variety of clothing and accessories, like glasses, hats, patches, t-shirts, wallets, and other products, that bore the Run-DMC name without permission, infringing on the Run-DMC trademark registered in 2007.
The suit also states that Amazon’s, Walmart’s, and Jet.com’s sale and distribution of this merchandise misleads consumers into thinking the items have been endorsed by Run-DMC, and accuses them of “trading on the goodwill” of the brand. Mr. McDaniels said the Run-DMC brand is “extremely valuable,” and it is the focus of many vital licensing agreements, like its deal with Adidas ADDYY.
"Plaintiff will suffer immediate and irreparable injury, loss, or damage" should the alleged trademark infringements not stop, the complaint filed in the U.S. District Court in Manhattan states.
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