Kim Kardashian's team have branded a trademark infringement lawsuit filed against her a "shakedown effort".
Kim Kardashian is being sued
The 'Kardashians' star is being sued over her new brands SKKN and SKKN BY Kim by a Brooklyn-based company called Beauty Concepts, which claimed it owns the rights to SKKN+ and the 41-year-old beauty's labelling on her products is confusing their customers.
According to documents obtained by TMZ, Beauty Concepts explained they are a Black and woman-owned business which, having survived the COVID-19 pandemic have moved up to a physical store, only to learn Kim was launching her new brand with a very similar name.
They say they reached out to the reality star's team after she filed paperwork to trademark SKKN, explaining they already held SKKN+ and asking Kim not to use similar branding, but claim their request was ignored.
Now Kim's own lawyer, Michael Rhodes, has hit back in a statement and insisted the lawsuit is "not what it seems".
He said: "This lawsuit is not what it seems. SKKN BY KIM is a new brand that follows in the footsteps of Ms. Kardashian's successful KKW line of products. Building on independent research and development, her company filed a trademark application for SKKN BY KIM to protect the new branded products. This prompted the current shakedown effort.
"We applaud Ms. Lunsford for being a small business owner and following her dreams. But that doesn’t give her the right to wrongfully claim that we’ve done something wrong.
"In its letter, Beauty Concepts claimed to own rights to a logo made up of SKKN+, and had just filed for trademark protection for that logo. The business was a one-person shop offering facials from a single Brooklyn location. The salon had no signage and was by appointment only.
"To our knowledge, Beauty Concepts sold no products under the SKKN+ name."
The lawyer pointed out Beauty Concepts' previous challenge of Kim's trademark application was also rejected.
He continued: "Beauty Concepts asked that we drop the SKKN name. Of course, we said no. Beauty Concepts then challenged Ms. Kardashian’s trademark applications at the USPTO. Unsurprisingly, the USPTO rejected Beauty Concepts’ own SKKN+ mark saying that 'skkn' just means 'skin.'
"Undaunted, Beauty Concepts then tried to make its business seem more than it was – it leased a new storefront, changed its website, etc."
Michael claimed Kim's team tried to work with Beauty Concepts to find a resolution and says he "pointed out running a small aesthetician business in Brooklyn does not give it the right to shut down a global skincare line."
Because there is still a dispute over the trademark rights, Kim's attorney believes Beauty Concepts have filed the lawsuit to try and leverage a hefty settlement.
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