Hailey Bieber’s Beauty Brand, Rhode, Is Being Sued
Hailey Bieber’s skincare line, Rhode Skin, is being sued for trademark infringement.
The lawsuit comes from fashion label Rhode NYC, a clothing brand that was co-founded by Purna Khatau and Phoebe Vickers. In legal documents obtained by TMZ, Rhode NYC claims the companies’ names are too similar and it is causing confusion amongst consumers.
On Tuesday June 21, lawyer Lisa Simpson, lead litigation counsel to Rhode NYC and partner at Orrick Herrington and SutCliffe LLP, issued a statement. It read: 'Last week, Ms. Bieber launched a beauty skin-care line using the same exact brand as Rhode.
'She did this despite knowing of Rhode and its prior rights – Ms. Bieber tried to buy the RHODE mark from Rhode four years ago.'
In the statement, the lawyer acknowledges that ‘Rhode’ is Bieber’s legal middle name and didn't come from nowhere, but adds, 'the law on this is clear: You can’t create this kind of brand confusion just because you want to use your name.'
Rhode NYC co-founders Purna and Phoebe also shared a joint statement on Instagram, which read: 'Nine years ago, we quit our jobs and founded Rhode out of our apartment, creating a fashion company from nothing. We’re two women entrepreneurs who met in college, built the RHODE brand, and put years of hard work into our minority co-owned company.
'Today, we were forced to file a lawsuit against Hailey Bieber and her new skin-care line that launched last week and that is using the brand ‘rhode.’ We didn’t want to file this lawsuit, but we had to in order to protect our business.
'We admire Hailey. She has worked hard and earned the ability to create her own skin-care line. We don’t want to sue Hailey; we want to celebrate her. As fellow women entrepreneurs, we wish her every success.
'Hailey could choose any brand for her skin-care line. We have only the brand name "RHODE" that we’ve built. That’s why we didn’t sell her our brand when she asked four years ago, and why we ask her now to change her skin-care line’s brand. Her using our brand is hurting our company, our employees, our customers, and our partners.
'We’re confident in the lawsuit’s outcome, but we hope Hailey will now understand the harm we’re sure she never meant to cause and change her skin-care line’s brand. Thank you to everyone for valuing our vision and supporting us.'
A source from Hailey’s Rhode beauty line later told TMZ that Hailey owns the trademark for skincare, while the fashion line Rhode holds the trademark for clothing. However, Hailey and her brand, Rhode Skin, are yet to release an official statement.
ELLE UK has approached Rhode Skin for comment.
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