Kanye West Fighting to Be the Only Yeezy in Clothing Trademark Battle
When you hear the word “Yeezy,” you likely think of sold-out sneakers, spandex and Kanye West. But it looks like the fashion designer and rapper, 40, is in a fight to secure legal ownership over his moniker.
According to legal documents obtained by PEOPLE, West is involved in a battle with Chinese apparel company Fujian Baby Network Technology Co., after the company filed the paperwork to trademark “Yeezy Boost” on June 9, 2017 for use on its own clothing products.
West started using the term Yeezy on his shoes in 2013 and obtained the trademark in 2017, but the designer didn’t follow through on securing the trademark for the clothing line. The Chinese brand is now taking this as an opportunity to legally claim West’s nickname as its own.
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West’s company quickly filed documents with the United States Patent and Trademark office to prevent the Chinese company from being able to use the Yeezy name.
The legal battle comes after West’s wife and Yeezy muse Kim Kardashian West confirmed the full collection for Yeezy season 7 (which she’s been modeling herself the past few weeks) including apparel and shoes, will be available “online soon.”
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This isn’t the only legal battle West’s Yeezy brand is facing at the moment.
His company is also being sued for allegedly using the same camouflage design as another closing business.
Jordan Outdoor Enterprises filed a lawsuit against the rapper-turned-designer’s label on Thursday, claiming that Yeezy’s camo print is an unauthorized copy of their Realtree collection.
The alleged copycat pattern was used as a part of West’s Season 5 line for hoodies, bomber jackets, shirts, cargo pants and thigh-high boots. NBA players LeBron James’ brand, Unknwn, is also named in the lawsuit for selling the Yeezy clothes.
In court documents obtained by PEOPLE, Jordan Outdoor Enterprises states that a representative from Yeezy reached out to the company in March 2016 with inquiries about their camouflage design. However, communication between the brands ceased after the subject of licensing was brought up by Jordan Outdoor Enterprises, according to the lawsuit.
Jordan Outdoor Enterprises is also accusing Yeezy of removing its trademarks from the original camo print without official license or authorization prior to copying.