*Retail chains Forever 21 and Urban Outfitters thought it could just grab pictures of Tupac, slap them on some clothing and sell the merchandise without any consequences and repercussions.
Needless to say, both outlets are being sued for copyright infringement by Danny Clinch, the photographer who shot the images in question for the 1993 and 1996 covers of Rolling Stone magazine.
“Defendants, without the authorization, knowledge or consent of the plaintiff, deliberately and willfully copied, displayed, distributed, and sold the copyrighted photographs on such infringing T-shirts and perhaps other apparel,” the suit reads, according to The Consumerist.
In addition to the two retailers, the defendants in the lawsuit include Bioworld Merchandising (who produced the shirts), Planet Productions LLC (who licensed the shirts), and Amaru/AWA Merchandising, Inc. (the company in charge of licensing Tupac merchandise).
It appears that Amaru/AWA Merchandising Inc. gave Planet Productions permission to use the images on behalf of the copyright holder. Clinch is the copyright holder of the images, but he claims he never authorized Amaru/AWA to act on his behalf.
Clinch is seeking $600,000 in damages, the destruction of any remaining shirts featuring his images, and an order prohibiting the companies from using the images in the future.
Less than two weeks ago, Forever 21 fell in the crosshairs of Frank Ocean, who took to Tumblr over shock that a font custom-designed for the artist to use exclusively ended up on the doors of a Forever 21 store.
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