Vokal Clothing Sued By St.Louis Rap Duo Vokal

Article written by: Rodrick Rainey
Posted on: April 29, 2004

Nelly has been hit with a lawsuit due to a dispute over the name of his clothing line, Vokal.

Vokal, which debuted in 1999 was at one period the only sell out clothing line for many stores across the US. Since then, sales have slowed a little but it is still moving in high units according to store owning sources.

The reason is sells so well? Well nobody really knows as a lot say it’s not hot, but when you really look, it’s one of the few clothing lines that come up with original designs. That’s a major factor in today’s hiphop fashion era because most clothing lines share the same designer. This causes somewhat of a domino effect where everyone has a different logo, but it’s being up on the same clothing design other lines have.

Two members of musical group Vokal are suing for trademark infringement and unfair competition as they feel Nelly’s line has dominated the market. The group Vokal feels they no longer can be known as an original name that can break into the industry.

James Tyrone Wilson and Cameron Caines are seeking millions of dollars in damage and an injunction to prevent the singer from using the name any further.

The lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court in Orlando and maintains that the two men obtained the rights to the Vokal name when they signed a record contract with Universal in 1998.

Vokal raked in over $20 million dollars in 2002 and a lawyer for the group estimates that a damage award could be well into eight figures ($$,$$$,$$$). However, in most cases laywers are aiming high for a lower settlement. Time will tell what is to unfold for Nelly and the Vokal clothing line as his clothing line has become the urban industry’s defintion for Vokal.