Rocawear Gets Sued

Article written by: Rodrick Rainey
Posted on: September 6, 2004

Rocawear clothing company was forced to cancel the name of its’ spring fashion line. A rival designer charges the multi-million dollar clothing company with stealing their “MUSE” trademark.

The clothing line, Maggy London International, charged the urban menswear clothing line known for it’s growing success, with trademark infringement. After certifying their position on Rocawear’s MUSE name usage, they took their charges to Manhattan federal court in New York.

Rocawear, owned by hip hop superstars Jay-Z, Dame Dash, and Kareem Biggs, intended to call its 2005 spring line of clothing and jewelry “RocawearMUSE”. With prices ranging from $35 to $250, according to Women Wear’s Daily, the line was expected to be one of Rocawears most diverse seasonal collections from their beginning to current date.

Maggy London’s MUSE has sold women’s apparel and accessories under MUSE since 1999. And it asserts the name is a legal trademark.

Bridget Russo, Rocawear’s spokeswoman reported the suit is invalid due to the fact Maggy London International is not actually using the name currently.

“We’re not using the name. I don’t think it’s a big issue,” Russo told Urb1. Stating this fact because Rocawear has not actually put the name out on store shelves. However, Russo did admit the name MUSE was under consideration before problems had arisen.

The US Patent and TradeMark Office refused Rocawear’s request because of the “likelihood of confusion” with Maggy’s trademark.