LOS ANGELES – A California business that is the licensee of Notorious BIG's publicity rights alleges a Texas company it contracted with used a photo on merchandise without the photographer's permission.
Remrylie Licensing Inc. filed a complaint on Jan. 9 in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California against Bioworld Merchandising Inc. alleging breach of contract.
According to the complaint, the plaintiff is the licensee of the publicity rights of rapper the Notorious BIG and contracted with the defendant for merchandising purposes in 2013. The plaintiff holds Bioworld Merchandising Inc. responsible because the defendant allegedly used a photograph that its employee had found on the internet and removed the original photographer's watermark on the merchandise instead of using a licensed photograph from the plaintiff. The plaintiff alleges the photographer has sent a cease and desist letter.
The plaintiff requests a trial by jury and seeks damages, all legal fees and any other relief as the court deems just. It is represented by Staci Jennifer Riordan of Nixon Peabody LLP in Los Angeles.
U.S. District Court for the Central District of California Case number 2:17-cv-00166-MWF-MRW