Twenty One Pilots have accused Temu of marketing and selling counterfeit merch in a new trademark infringement lawsuit filed against the China-based online retailer.
The suit, obtained by Rolling Stone, is largely filled with screenshots of what appear to be listings on Temu for an array of allegedly fake Twenty One Pilots merch, such as posters, shirts, mugs, and socks. As the suit notes, some of the items available on Temu appear to be identical to items currently for sale on Twenty One Pilots’ website. Others on Temu appear to contain images and other art associated with the band, such as the cover of their 2015 album, Blurryface.
The complaint alleges that Twenty One Pilots’ trademarks “have been damaged and put at risk by Temu’s knowing and systematic marketing and sale of counterfeit versions,” which they describe as “confusingly and/or virtually identical to” their own trademarked materials.
Temu did not immediately return Rolling Stone’s request for comment.
The lawsuit opens with a pointed salvo at Temu, saying the retailer is “widely understood to be one of the most unethical companies operating in today’s global marketplace. Its business practices are believed to pose great threats to individuals, marketplaces, and the environment.”
It goes on to cite a complaint recently filed by the State of Nebraska, which alleges that Temu has “flooded the United States with cheap products” and “fuels a whole host of other harms,” including its alleged sale of copyright-protected materials.
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Twenty One Pilots’ lawyers called Temu a “veritable swamp of infringing and otherwise illegal products,” adding that it “manufactures and sells a myriad of items that are counterfeit or blatant copies of [Twenty One Pilots’] artwork, trademarks, and intellectual property.”
Counterfeit merchandise has long been a problem for musicians, with suppliers and artists now contending with new school online retailers and old school bootleggers hawking wares outside of concerts. As Billboard notes, merch suppliers for Benson Boone and Tate McRae recently filed separate lawsuits aiming to crack down on fake items sold outside their shows. And Jeff Gluck, the same attorney representing Twenty One Pilots, filed a similar infringement suit against Temu last month on behalf of the MF Doom estate.
