Gas Drawls LLC, which was founded by MF Doom and his widow Jasmine Dumile Thompson back in 2011, recently filed a new lawsuit against Whaleco Inc. They accuse the company, doing business as Temu, of multiple alleged infractions. This includes alleged trademark infringement, unfair competition, and misappropriation of likeness, per Complex.
The lawsuit also alleges that Gas Drawls trademarks “have been damaged by Temu’s knowing and systematic marketing and sale of counterfeit versions of the brand’s trademark of products bearing counterfeit and/or confusingly and/or virtually identical trademarks." They claim the alleged infractions additionally “devalue” MF Doom's “status in the hip-hop milieu.”
Gas Drawls is seeking damages, legal costs and attorneys’ fees, and an order barring Temu from repeating the alleged infractions. They're also calling for the immediate recall and removal of all relevant products. The 32-page filing cites several examples of these products, including t-shirts, art prints, and more.
MF Doom Temu Lawsuit
Gas Drawls' attorneys allege that there's reason to believe consumers could have been confused about the legitimacy of the products. They also allege that some fans could have been under the impression that MF Doom's trademark owners reached an agreement with Temu. This, of course, is not the case.
They allege that Temu is “liable for treble damages, attorneys’ fees, and statutory damages of up to [$2 million] per counterfeit mark per type of goods sold, offered for sale, or distributed.” In the lawsuit, Gas Drawls' legal team also takes shots at Temu's business practices as a whole. They allege that it's “widely understood” as “one of the most unethical companies operating in today’s global marketplace.”
At the time of writing, Temu has not publicly responded to the lawsuit from Gas Drawls LLC.
