Celebrity Kim Kardashian has found herself in a legal dispute, a lawsuit filed by a small, Black woman business owner over her new skincare line.
Kim Kardashian and Coty, Inc. recently launched their new skincare line named SKNN by Kim. They are now being sued for trademark infringement by a company called Beauty Concepts, an esthetician studio in Brooklyn, owned by a Black woman, who is claiming ownership of the SKKN+ logo that the billionaire star is using for her own beauty products line.
When both companies attempted to trademark the name, Beauty Concepts’ creator, Cydnie Lunsfurd, wrote a cease-and-desist letter to Kim’s corporation, Kimsaprincess, over a year ago. Lunsfurd, who has been using the name since 2018, was two days ahead of Kardashian at the trademark office. In response to the cease-and-desist order, Kardashian’s lawyer, Michael G. Rhodes, indicated that he was “hopeful that we can smooth things over once all sides communicate.”
Beauty Concepts has instead filed a case four years later. Despite Kardashian’s popularity, the little Black-owned business does not appear to be going down without a fight. According to Lunsford’s brand, the Kardashian’s skincare line introduction is confusing her clients, and she also mentions the challenge of maintaining a business of her scale while surviving the pandemic.
Beauty Concepts has now filed suit, indicating that a copasetic agreement was not possible. The company claims that Kim’s new line is confusing clients and underlines that they are a small, WOC-owned company that survived the pandemic to open a physical store. According to TMZ, Rhodes is calling the lawsuit a “shakedown.”
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Having a small business in Brooklyn did not give it the authority to “shut down a global skincare line,” Rhodes stated. Rhodes is portraying the litigation as a money grab by Lunsfurd and shows no indications of relenting, reports say. The legal case may create a fascinating precedent for whether cultural behemoths like Kardashian may bulldoze modest enterprises.
Only time will tell if Lunsford will be able to claim victory over the trademark as the dispute unfolds. While the case is still continuing, it’s worth considering Kardashian’s new brand’s track record. Glamour reported on the uproar surrounding not only her line’s name but also Lori Harvey’s SKN by LH – another Black-owned beauty brand.
(Photo Credit Asatur Yesayants )
