RZA is suing a number of bootleggers for selling merchandise that uses the Wu-Tang Clan logo, according to AllHipHop.
The lawsuit reportedly accuses e-commerce stores of trademark infringement, counterfeiting and false designation of origin, using the legendary Hip Hop group’s trademarks to make items seem real. Defendants are believed to be operating out of China or other foreign jurisdictions with relaxed trademark enforcement.
The move aims to stop bootleggers from selling more products, counterfeit copies or colorable imitations of Wu-Tang Clan products, while asking companies such as Amazon, eBay and AliExpress to remove advertisements.
The lawsuit reads, “Many defendants also deceive unknowing consumers by using the Wu-Tang Clan Trademarks without authorization within the content, text, and/or meta tags of their e-commerce stores to attract various search engines crawling the Internet looking for e-commerce stores relevant to consumer searches for Wu-Tang Clan products.
“Other e-commerce stores operating under the Seller Aliases omit using the Wu-Tang Clan Trademarks in the item title to evade enforcement efforts while using strategic item titles and descriptions that will trigger their listings when consumers are searching for Wu-Tang Clan products.”
RZA is seeking all profits and damages for trademark infringement or being awarded $2 million for “each and every use” of the Wu-Tang Clan trademarks.
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RZA previously sued Brooklyn dog-walking company Woof-Tang Clan for trademark infringement in 2017. Court papers stated Wu-Tang Clan’s name and logo had been “unmistakably associated” with the group since 1993, and that the company’s attempt to trademark its name violated copyright.
Woof-Tang Clan claims to walk “the illest group of dogs in New York City,” with staff members said to be “courteous and responsible, as long as we’re in agreement that Nas’ Illmatic is the greatest album of all time.” They also sold dog T-shirts referencing rap albums such as Ol’ Dirty Bastard’s Return to the 36 Chambers: The Dirty Version and De La Soul’s 3 Feet High and Rising.
In response to RZA’s legal battle at the time, Woof-Tang Clan owner Marty Cuatchon said, “I am a fan. We walk dogs. I thought it was a good idea.”
Damn i kinda feel like buying some Chinese wu tang shit rn.. Also feel like getting some RZA torrents. Can you guys imagine suing “woof tang clan”? Get a grip rza
sue the shit out of em, no reason to take someone’s great idea and pawn off their fame for your lesser quality product, why tf would you need to use em to sell your bs?
So the guy who puts out the million dollar too good for you to own album is crying ? Eat a dick RZA.
i get stopping people from using the logo but the woof-tang folks. come on rza.
So…will the rest of the clan get percentages from that 2 mill per infringement or is RZA gonna pocket the money and leave the homies hanging?
does the rest of the clan own the name, logo, and likeness of the brand?
gotta protect the brand i suppose but what you expect trying to sell 36dolla t shirts, oh well another 1%er who forgot were they come from except he actually came from poverty/street life
Dang. As much as I’m a huge fan of the Wu, I believe you got the nail on the head with this one.
Guaranteed if the shoe was on the other foot, Woof Tang would sue Rza!!
Wow thats some “opinion” there bud. I don’t know any of that statement to be true. They just trying to walk dogs and thought they had a clever take on the name that they are such fans of in the home city of the Wu! I’m a huge fan of WuTang but that one is a little far fetched and rediculous for rza. Lastly, use the correct words when making a statement about something otherwise you just sound like a goofball. The word “guarantee” means something that is for sure. You can’t guarantee a speculative cynical opinion.
I’m a big fan but the shoe WAS on the other foot. Rza did not make up Wu Tang Clan. He stole it himself from Kung fu flicks. Did they sue him?
Yet RZA has stolen other people’s art by sampling their records for like three decades. What an ass clown.
Eat a dick RZA!! And I know all about eating dick!
RZA did not create the name Wu Tang Clan. That name was created somewhere in China. I get he can stop people from using the logo, but the name Wu Tang Clan is not his to begin with. He stole the name off the King Fu movies he watch. Imagine if they told him they are suing for the name and they never got to use it
At the beginning no one cared about Wu Tang until the rza put vision and talent into it if rza would have never done any of it do you think anyone now would even know what Wu Tang is or was blood sweat and tears day and night struggle to make the name what it is today we’ll leave the eating dicks to the professional s you’d guy’s