Model Hailey Bieber has been sued for trademark infringement over her Rhode skincare line that was launched earlier this month.
As per People, a 9-year-old fashion company that shares the name of her skincare line, Rhode sued Hailey on Tuesday.
The clothing brand cofounders Purna Khatau and Phoebe Vickers filed the suit against the model in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York, saying she is creating market confusion by marketing a skincare line under the Rhode name.
In the filing, Khatau stated she and Vickers launched the company in May 2013 and have since "dedicated ourselves to growing and nurturing the RHODE brand through much personal sacrifice and hardship."
It is now considered a reputable brand sold in luxury stores, including Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus and worn by celebrities like Beyonce, Rihanna, and Mindy Kaling. RHODE is expected to make USD 14.5 million this year, the lawsuit stated.
Hailey is married to singer Justin Bieber, and the lawsuit said her husband has promoted her business to his 243 million Instagram followers, generating 1.5 million likes with one posting.
The co-founders said Hailey attempted to buy the rights to the name from them four years ago, but they declined.
"Unfortunately, that Hailey is currently focusing on skin care while we focus on fashion has not been preventing brand confusion, and it won't in the future," said Vickers and Khatau. "We're both parts of a larger beauty market in which fashion and cosmetics closely overlap and often collaborate."
"Hailey has stated that she wants to pursue a clothing line, and she even applied for 'Rhode' as a trademark for clothing," they added. "We welcome competition - we just don't want competitors using our name."
Hailey has not reacted to the controversy yet.
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