Retailers sued for $50 million

U.S. Nancy Frank
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Retailers such as Amazon and Walmart are being sued for infringing RUN-DMC’s trademark.

Apparently, the stores are using the hip-hop group’s image for “advertising, manufacturing, selling and distributing multiple products” that confuse the customers.

This Thursday, the lawsuit was filed in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York. In the lawsuit, it is specified that the merchandise wasn’t endorsed by the group.

Various products were sold, such as black-frame glasses Darryl McDaniels wears. McDaniels is a co-founder of the group and is known as DMC. He also owns the trademark. The artist owns about 200 pairs of glasses like the one sold by the sued retailers.

The court has presented an exhibit of products linked to their trademark. Shirts, hats, and other merch were shown. They usually imitate the ones the group wore.

RUN-DMC includes the following members: Darryl McDaniels, Jason “Jam Master J” Mizell and Joseph “Reverend Run” Simmons. The three raised to fame in the 80’s in their neighborhood from New York, Hollis, Queens.

The three members were included in 2009 in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for some of their hits. “It’s like that”, ” You be Illin” and “My Adidas” are some of their hit songs.

The group is no longer performing together. Jason Mizell died in 2002 after he was shot.

Because the number of merch sold by these retailers is so large, they can’t be named properly. This situation has ruined the band’s business according to the lawsuit.

Amongst the two big retailers, there are also other sites and stores involved: SW Global, Jet.com, Infinity Fashion and Vision World.

The companies have not responded to the lawsuit just yet. Some of them couldn’t be reached.