Last week, we reported that Kylie and Kendall Jenner released a new line of merchandise essentially pasting their faces on top of cultural icons, like Jim Morrison and Pink Floyd. Even worse, these Kendall + Kylie T-shirts were selling for $125.
While people were already outraged over the debut of these T-shirts, the latest news is that the girls are now facing major legal ramifications, as well. It seems the Jenners did not request permission from any of those featured icons or their estates to use the images, and that’s a huge problem. According to Complex, lawyers representing The Doors’ estate confirmed that they are taking legal action against the Jenners even though the shirts have since been removed.
Notorious B.I.G.’s estate issued its own cease and desist letter yesterday, threatening to sue if the shirts were not pulled, and Sharon Osbourne, Ozzy Osbourne’s wife, tweeted her opinion on the trainwreck T-shirts:
Girls, you haven’t earned the right to put your face with musical icons. Stick to what you know…lip gloss. pic.twitter.com/BhmuUVrDBn
— Sharon Osbourne (@MrsSOsbourne) June 29, 2017
Hopefully, Kendall and Kylie learned a valuable lesson from this—you can’t just use whatever designs and images you want. In the promotional apparel business, we know these rules, but this serves as a good reminder. We’ll see how this T-shirt controversy plays out in the courtroom.
