Rihanna Sues Her Father Over Use Of The 'Fenty' Family Name
Photo Credit: Instagram/@Badgaldriri
According to legal documents, celebrity music icon Rihanna has filed a lawsuit in the California federal court, against her father to prevent him from exploiting her name and brand in an attempt she claims, to fraudulently make "millions of dollars" through his company Fenty Entertainment LLC.
The singer, whose real name is Robyn Rihanna Fenty, said her father, Ronald Fenty, and his business partner, Moses Perkins, have publicly expressed that their company, Fenty Entertainment, is affiliated with her and have even been making promises that she would perform at various venues around the world.
But Rihanna's father and his business have been lying and have no legal right to act on her behalf or to use her name, intellectual property or publicity rights, according to the suit.
"Mr. Fenty, Mr. Perkins and the company's fraudulent conduct is particularly egregious because they repeatedly have been told to stop making these misrepresentations, and to cease and desist all activity and efforts to exploit Rihanna's name and the goodwill associated with the Fenty brand," the suit says.
Rihanna uses the mark "Fenty" for a number of well-known businesses, including Fenty Beauty, as well as in connection with the sale of multiple products through affiliated entities, such as Fenty x Puma, according to the suit. The mark has since become "inextricably intertwined with Rihanna," including her reputation and business ventures, the suit says.
Rihanna's father and his business have been misappropriating the 30-year-old singer's name and knowingly misrepresenting that it is affiliated with her since at least 2017, according to the complaint, in an effort to capitalize on her brand recognition.
In one instance, a third-party entertainment company offered Fenty and his company an "exclusive deal" for Rihanna to perform 15 shows in Latin America for $15 million and two 15-minute sets at the Staples Center in Los Angeles and Las Vegas' T-Mobile Arena for $400,000, the complaint says.
Fenty "accepted" the deal on Rihanna's behalf, saying she "loved the idea" and wanted to get the deal signed, according to the suit.
But Fenty never spoke to Rihanna about the performances, and in March 2018, her manager told Fenty and Perkins to stop exploiting Rihanna's name and the Fenty mark and to stop acting on her behalf, the suit says.
In August, however, Perkins and Fenty tried to file an application with the U.S Patent and Trademark Office, claiming to have an intent to use the Fenty mark in connection with resort boutique hotels, but they only filed the application in an effort to mislead the public into thinking they were affiliated with Rihanna, according to the suit.
In December, Rihanna again sent Fenty and Perkins a letter demanding they stop their unauthorized use of the Fenty mark, their claims of affiliation with Rihanna, the false advertisements to the public and to stop saying Fenty Entertainment is affiliated with Rihanna or that she has sponsored the company, according to the suit.
"Judicial intervention is necessary because defendants have made clear that they have no intention of ceasing their fraudulent and infringing conduct," the suit says. "In the face of clear warnings, defendants continue to unabashedly perpetuate this fraud in an attempt to profit at the expense of Rihanna's rights."
The suit includes claims of false designation of origin, false advertising, violations of California's right of publicity statute and invasion of privacy.
Rihanna is asking for treble actual damages in an amount to be proven, all lost profits and costs for corrective advertising and attorneys' fees, among other damages claims.
Full case details: Fenty et al v. Fenty entertainment