Nipsey Hussle’s estate has taken legal action against online retailers who allegedly created and sold unauthorized merchandise bearing the estate’s registered trademarks, particularly its “Crenshaw” logo.
The suit, which was filed by the administrator of the late rapper’s estate, Nipsey’s elder brother, Samiel Asghedom, says the estate is seeking all profits made from unauthorized merch or a $2 million penalty for each infraction. The estate has also requested that the retailers in question be forced to shut down their domains to prevent any counterfeit merch from being sold moving forward.
According to TMZ, the e-commerce sites, which all used similar cart methods and advertising, are based in China and are believed to be working in tandem while using different operating systems and web domains. The accused retailers have allegedly focused on selling the counterfeit merchandise primarily to residents of Illinois, hence the suit being filed in that particular state as opposed to California.
In addition to the “Crenshaw,” logo, Nipsey’s estate holds the right to several registered trademarks, including a South Central State of Mine clothing line.
This isn’t the first time Nipsey’s team has had to take legal action over the Hussle brand. This past March, Nipsey’s estate reportedly reached a settlement with Crips LLC following litigation over ownership of Nipsey’s “The Marathon Continues” slogan, which the South Central native popularized over the course of his career.