Temu: MF Doom Estate’s ‘Inflammatory’ Counterfeit Merch Lawsuit Has a ‘Fundamental Problem’

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The e-commerce elephantine claims it's conscionable a hosting tract for autarkic sellers.

MF DOOM

Rapper MF DOOM performs astatine a payment performance for the Rhino Foundation astatine Central Park's Rumsey Playfield connected June 28, 2005 successful New York City. Peter Kramer/Getty Images

Temu wants to disregard a suit implicit counterfeit MF Doom merchandise brought by the precocious hip-hop legend’s estate, arguing successful a caller tribunal filing that it’s not liable for the actions of autarkic Chinese sellers who usage the e-commerce site.

Gas Drawls LLC, which manages the property of MF Doom (Daniel Dumile), filed suit successful August, accusing Temu of selling dozens of knock-off t-shirts, hats, posters and different merchandise displaying the deceased rapper’s sanction and signature mask. Temu’s attorneys person present responded with a tribunal filing that calls the lawsuit legally defective.

“Gas Drawls’ ailment suffers from a cardinal problem: it fails to plead immoderate plausible facts supporting its conclusory allegation that Temu — alternatively than autarkic third-party sellers — made, sold and shipped the allegedly infringing products,” constitute Temu’s lawyers from the steadfast Knobbe Martens successful the Thursday (Oct. 16) filing.

Temu’s attorneys accidental the company’s concern exemplary intelligibly leaves the selling of products to autarkic 3rd parties successful China. They reason that Temu is conscionable the intermediary — and that nether intelligence spot law, a level can’t beryllium held straight liable for infringement by third-party users.

Another occupation with the lawsuit, argues Temu, is that the MF Doom property is trying to assertion ownership of the deceased rapper’s likeness. But Temu says post-mortem rights of publicity bash not beryllium successful the United Kingdom, wherever MF Doom died successful 2020.

Temu maintains that it “takes intelligence spot rights seriously” and has a robust strategy for users to study infringement connected the site. According to the motion, MF Doom’s property ne'er availed itself of these procedures earlier resorting to litigation.  

“Nonetheless, upon receiving the draft, Temu promptly investigated the matter,” constitute Temu’s lawyers. “Acting retired of an abundance of caution and successful accordance with its IP policies — not arsenic an admittance of merit to Gas Drawls’ claims — Temu removed each listing that it could place from the poor-quality screenshots provided.”

Temu is asking a justice to disregard each of the MF Doom estate’s claims outright. And if the suit moves forward, the institution wants, astatine the precise least, to region the estate’s “irrelevant and inflammatory” allegations that impeach it of “unethical” and “horrific” concern practices.

The MF Doom property declined to remark connected the motion. But its attorney, Jeff Gluck, pointed retired to Billboard that immoderate infringing merchandise is inactive Read Entire Article