*A member of pioneering rap group Run-DMC has filed a $50m lawsuit accusing Amazon, Walmart and other retailers of violating federal trademark and New York competition laws.
Darryl “DMC” McDaniels said that products sold by these stores are unlawfully using the group’s name on items of clothing. The former rapper, who owns a firm named Run-DMC Brand, made the allegations in a complaint filed in the US District Court in Manhattan. According to the lawsuit, the products include “glasses, hats, t-shirts, patches, wallets and numerous other items,” TMZ reports.
The lawsuit alleges that the mega retailers have improperly “profited from, diluted and harmed” the Run-DMC brand, which has generated more than $100 million in revenue since the 1980s.
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McDaniels said the brand was “extremely valuable” and noted the $1.6 million agreement with Adidas. That’s why Run-DMC is asking for $50 million in damages.
The complaint said the defendants are “advertising, selling, manufacturing, promoting and distributing multiple products” in the group’s trademarked name.
Run-DMC were one of the biggest rap acts of the 1980s, and their distinctive logo has become a fashionable motif on T-shirts. McDaniels said the brand had been legitimately licensed to various manufacturers, and Adidas itself was the subject of one of the group’s most successful songs.
Amazon and Walmart have yet to comment on the lawsuit.
McDaniels founded the group in 1981 with fellow rapper Joseph “Run” Simmons, who is now an ordained Pentecostal minister known as Reverend Run. The third member of the group, DJ Jam Master Jay, was fatally shot in a recording studio in Queens in 2002.
The group’s hits include “My Adidas,” “King of Rock” and “It’s Tricky.” In 2009, Run-DMC was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, becoming only the second rap act to be awarded that honor.
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