Uh oh! Hailey Bieber is facing more controversy for her new skincare line, rhode!
Justin Bieber’s wife was served up a new lawsuit on Tuesday — just one week after she launched the brand — and this could be detrimental to her company if it picks up steam in court!
According to entrepreneurs Purna Khatau and Phoebe Vickers, as well as their company RHODE-NYC, LLC, Hailey’s new brand is “trademark-infringing.” In court docs filed by RHODE-NYC, LLC and obtained by ET, Purna and Phoebe argue the model’s skincare brand will “quickly swamp” their company’s “market presence, confuse the marketplace and ultimately destroy the goodwill and reputation of the RHODE brand.”
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For those that don’t know, RHODE is a clothing and lifestyle brand the women started in 2014, with their pieces having been worn by celebs like Beyoncé, Tracee Ellis Ross, and Lupita Nyong’o. Pretty freaking impressive! Check out the co-founders (below):
It is because of this success that they are determined to fight for their name, especially since they fear RHODE will get lost in the mix if Hailey can continue to use the same moniker — something they claim Hailey was just as aware of! Years ago, the media personality allegedly reached out to purchase their trademark but they refused. The docs detailed:
“[Hailey] previously sought to acquire the RHODE mark, appreciating that the brands could not coexist without confusion. Given the sacrifices they had made to build the brand, Khatau and Vickers refused.”
Wow! No wonder they’re so frustrated! Because of the beauty guru’s fame, they insisted she can rebrand and “leverage her fame into success with a differently-branded beauty line” since rhode is “built upon Ms. Bieber’s already immense celebrity status and massive fan following.” Purna and Phoebe are doubtful the 25-year-old will have the decency to take that step without legal action, though, they added:
“[Hailey] apparently does not care that two other women entrepreneurs have been using the RHODE brand name for years.”
Dang! They’re calling her OUT!
In a candid post on its social media, the company also fully detailed its decision to take legal action and elaborated on the steps Hailey took in moving forward with the brand name despite failing to acquire their trademark. They revealed:
“Nine years ago, we quit our jobs and founded Rhode out of our apartment, creating a fashion company from nothing. We’re two women entrepreneurs who met in college, built the RHODE brand, and put years of hard work into our minority co-owned company. Today, we were forced to file a lawsuit against Hailey Bieber and her new skin-care line that launched last week and that is using the brand ‘rhode.’ We didn’t want to file this lawsuit, but we had to in order to protect our business.”
They also expressed their disappointment in having to take legal action, insisting that were fans of the socialite before this drama:
“We admire Hailey. She has worked hard and earned the ability to create her own skin-care line. We don’t want to sue Hailey; we want to celebrate her. As fellow women entrepreneurs, we wish her every success.”
On their decision not to sell their name, they stated:
“We have only the brand name ‘RHODE’ that we’ve built. That’s why we didn’t sell her our brand when she asked four years ago, and why we ask her now to change her skin-care line’s brand. Her using our brand is hurting our company, our employees, our customers, and our partners.”
A solid point, but is it enough to win this case?!
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If you think they’re intimidated about battling it out against a major icon in the beauty and fashion industry, think again! The businesswoman declared:
“We’re confident in the lawsuit’s outcome, but we hope Hailey will now understand the harm we’re sure she never meant to cause and change her skin-care line’s brand. Thank you to everyone for valuing our vision and supporting us.”
Read their full statement (below)!
That’s not all!
RHODE is asking the court to ban Hailey from using the trademarked name rhode for all her products. They also want a judge to force her to destroy all her marketing materials, recall all rhode products, and report all profits she’s made from rhode so far. They’re also asking to be compensated for legal fees and damages. Oh, and they hope to settle this matter in a trial! Jeez, they’re not backing down!!
Hailey and her team at rhode have yet to respond. What do U think they’ll say?! Sound OFF (below)!
[Image via MEGA/WENN & Hailey Rhode Bieber/YouTube]
The post Hailey Bieber's New Skincare Brand Rhode Is ALREADY Facing A Lawsuit! All The Details! appeared first on Perez Hilton.