The pop star Ariana Grande has sued the retail brand Forever 21 for allegedly using her likeness to promote their clothing and beauty products.
According to legal documents, the 26-year-old said the retailer, which has stores in the UK, the United States and across the EU, hired a “look-a-like model” and used the audio and lyrics to her song “7 Rings” after Ms Grande turned down an endorsement deal with the brand earlier this year.
The documents add that Forever 21 stole the “name, likeness and other intellectual property” of Ms Grande to promote their brand for free.
Reports suggest that the retailer published more than 30 “unauthorised” images and clips across social media platforms that suggested an official connection with the brand.
Ms Grande is reportedly seeking $10 million (approximately £8.3 million) in damages.
According to reports last year, the brand attempted to secure an official endorsement deal with the singer but negotiations broke down after it refused to pay “the fair market value”.
Commenting on the case, lawyers for Ms Grande said “the amounts that Forever 21 offered to pay for the right to use Ms Grande’s name and likeness were insufficient for an artist of her stature”.
They added that Forever 21 feared “irrelevance in a rapidly evolving market with increasing competition from other fast fashion brands” and “stole her name, likeness, and other intellectual property to promote their brands for free”.
Disputing the allegations, a Forever 21 spokesman said: “We are huge supporters of Ariana Grande and have worked with her licensing company over the past two years.
“We are hopeful that we will find a mutually agreeable resolution and can continue to work together in the future.”
It is not the first time a celebrity has sued a brand for using their likeness without permission. In 2015, Rhianna successfully sued Topshop for selling T-shirts displaying her picture derived from a photograph taken of her during a video shoot.
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