Kanye West was in the news again this week. West claimed that sneaker giant Adidas is suing him for $250 million.
“Let me explain very clearly what is happening with Adidas. Not only are they releasing fake colorways that aren’t approved, but they’re suing me for $250 million,” West said during an Instagram Live session.
West doesn’t seem too worried about the lawsuit. He is currently in Paris with his wife Bianca Censori. During their trip, they were greeted by a group of fans chanting ‘F*** Adidas’.
West went into beast mode earlier this week after the company showed off new colorways of the sneakers he designed. West also claimed that the company does not pay him.
“They also don’t pay me for these shoes that they are releasing and that have my name on them,” he added. “They are using contractual clauses and 50 years of business experience to rape an artist, one of her favorite artists, right in front of all of you in broad daylight.”
🚨 Kanye West and fãs singing ‘F*ck Adidas’ today in Paris
The rapper has autographed vinyl from fã with the same words, ‘F*ck Adidas’ pic.twitter.com/WSfneOoYES
— RAP MORE (@RapMais) February 28, 2024
Adidas claims ownership of Kanye West Designs
West and Adidas teamed up in 2013 after a failed partnership with rival sneaker giant Nike. And together they build one of the most innovative sneaker brands of all time. Fans lined up in droves just for the chance to purchase them.
But things got ugly when West started making anti-Semitic comments. In October 2022, the company denounced his behavior and announced that they were parting ways with him.
Although the company claimed it stopped paying Kanye, it claimed it still owned the rights to the design and therefore said it could legally sell the products.
“Adidas is the sole owner of all design rights to existing products as well as new and previous colorways under the partnership,” the company wrote in a statement.
Sneaker Giants Strikes Back at Class Action Lawsuit
Adidas has its own legal problems. At one point, the company employed Kanye. And because of that, they are filing a class action lawsuit. The lawsuit alleges that Adidas failed to warn its shareholders about Kanye’s offensive behavior that ultimately led to the split. It has significantly impacted their sales.
But the company fights back, claiming that the plaintiffs have no such case.
“This lawsuit is a misguided attempt to transform the dramatic and unfortunate end of the business partnership between Adidas and Ye… into a securities fraud lawsuit,” Adidas lawyers wrote in the filing.
“Plaintiff opportunistically takes those unfortunate events and claims, without basis, that Adidas’s prior statements were somehow fraudulent.”
Categories: Biography
Source: vcmp.edu.vn