French dance duo Justice sent a cease and desist notice to Justin Bieber about the singer’s next album Justice and what they claim is the use of Justice’s “cross” logo.
When Bieber announced his new album Justice on February 26, fans of Justice – as well as the label of the duo Ed Banger Records – claimed that there were similarities between the source of the title on the cover of Bieber’s album and the logo of Justice himself, where the “t” is accentuated to stand out. resemble a stylized crucifix.
“The morning that Bieber announced his album, it was very hard to miss,” said Justice co-manager Tyler Goldberg of Jet Management. Rolling Stone. “In addition to seeing everything on the internet, we listened to hundreds of people throughout the day – people from the industry, fans of Justice – and the guys from Justice received a ton of messages, not just forced to point out the similarities between the Justice Justin Bieber album, but confused. ‘Is this a collaboration of Justice?’ “
Although Ed Banger Records first joked about the resemblance in late February, when the album cover was revealed, the situation has since become a legal issue. In a March 10 letter from the attorney for Bieber’s attorney and management, Justice asked Bieber to stop and give up his use of “Justice” in conjunction with the “cross”, a “Mark” that the duo registered in both France (in 2008) and the European Union (in 2014).
“Your use of the Brand is illegal. You have not received permission from the Court to use the Mark ”, the letter, obtained by Rolling Stone, States. “Furthermore, Bieber’s work is in no way affiliated, supported or sponsored by the courts. This use of the Brand is not only illegal, but it can also mislead and confuse consumers. “
The cease and desist letter also includes an email from April 29, 2020 in which Bieber’s team contacted Justice management to connect with the designer who created the Justice logo. “We are trying to track down the designer who did the one below for Justice. I was hoping you could help me point me in the right direction, ”a member of Bieber’s management team emailed an agency that represents the band. In another email, the designer told Bieber’s management, “I am available to discuss the logo design next week.” However, after that initial email, Justice’s administration said that Bieber’s team interrupted communication. (The designer declined to comment for this article.)
“Basically, the trail has cooled. There were attempts to configure the introduction, but it never happened ”, said the co-manager of Justice, John Scholz, of Jet Management. Rolling Stone, adding that it was “a shock” when Bieber announced Justice. “Given that we received emails from them where a member of the [Bieber’s] the management team specifically attached the Justice logo and asked to connect with the Justice logo designer; they mentioned that it was to work on a Justin Bieber project, they didn’t give us any details about it, no mention of an album called ‘Justice’ or a logo using the word ‘Justice’ ”.
The letter continues: “Through your illegal co-optation of the Brand, you are now subject to immediate legal action and damages, including, but not limited to, punishment and injustice.”
In the letter, the legal team cites previous trademark cases – from the Lanham Act to lawsuits involving brands like Wal-Mart, Bacardi and LL Bean – to claim that Bieber’s use of the trademark is tantamount to infringement and “trademark dilution” “. “Not only was Bieber’s team really aware of Justice’s use of the Mark, they sought to use the same artist to essentially duplicate it for the album. This is bad faith and a deliberate infraction according to the manuals ”, states the letter.
Goldberg adds: “Justice is not an obscure artist. They just won a Grammy for Best Electronic Album [in 2019]. They were the main attraction of festivals around the world. ”(Justice declined to comment for this article, citing pending legal action.)
Despite the letter, Bieber went ahead with the Justice launch on March 19. The singer is launching a new clothing line, including a sweatshirt with a cross on the front – Justice’s debut album in 2007, nicknamed “Cross” by fans, features a similar cross on the album cover – as well as a “Justice” Cross Hoodie “which fans of the group claim is reminiscent of the font used in the 2019 Justice film Iris: The Space Opera.
Although neither a member of Bieber’s legal team nor his representative responded to Rolling StoneUpon request for comment, Justice’s management says Bieber’s legal team “rejected” the cease and desist letter, arguing that the singer’s logo and merchandise did not infringe on the duo’s trademark.
“Global patent and trademark offices do not police the use of trademarks by third parties. As a result, brands need to be defended at all times by the brand owner, ”says Goldberg.
“The onus is on the brand owner to protect against illegal use by third parties, regardless of whether the third party is a billionaire manager or a music superstar,” he adds. “We will continue to protect the Justice logo – the trademark that was created 15 years ago – at all costs.”