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Ariana Grande Is Suing Forever 21 Over Alleged Look-Alike Model And Unlicensed Lyrics
The lawsuit claims the singer declined to sign an endorsement deal with Forever 21, which then went ahead with an ad campaign featuring a model who mirrors Grande in the music video for her song "7 Rings.”
Singer Ariana Grande is suing fast fashion retailer Forever 21 for allegedly using a look-alike model and her name in order to promote themselves.
Grande filed the lawsuit on Monday, claiming the retailer sought out an endorsement deal with her late last year and in early 2019, but the request was “explicitly declined due to Forever 21’s unwillingness to pay the fair market value for a celebrity of Ms. Grande’s stature,” according to the suit, obtained by CNN.
After that fell through, Grande’s law team believes Forever 21 went ahead with using the singer's "name, likeness and other intellectual property to promote their brands for free.”
The suit is against both Forever 21 and the spinoff beauty brand Riley Rose, which Forever 21 created. It alleges that both published at least 30 images and videos “misappropriating Ms. Grande’s name, image, likeness and music in order to create the false perception of her endorsement.” It calls out advertisements which feature some of Grande’s lyrics and a "look-alike model," who has a style mirroring Grande in the music video for her song "7 Rings.”
"You want it. We got it!" one of the ads reads, along with, "Gee thanks, just bought it!"
Forever 21 told CNN in an email statement, “Forever 21 does not comment on pending litigation as per company policy. That said, while we dispute the allegations, we are huge supporters of Ariana Grande and have worked with her licensing company over the past two years. We are hopeful that we will find a mutually agreeable resolution and can continue to work together in the future.”
The lawsuit is seeking at least $10 million in damages for alleged copyright and trademark infringement, false endorsement and violating Grande’s right of publicity, CBS News reports.
