- Hailey Bieber is being sued for trademark infringement.
- Rhode, an 8-year-old fashion label, claims she used its middle name without permission.
- Bieber applied for multiple trademarks in 2019 and 2020 as she planned her debut into the beauty sector.
Hailey Bieber (and her new beauty brand) is in hot water.
According to the first report, the model, who debuted her Rhode skincare line on June 15, is being sued for trademark infringement by an 8-year-old fashion label of the same name.
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Bieber allegedly wanted to buy the trademark from design duo Purna Khatau and Phoebe Vickers in 2018; when they refused, Bieber allegedly went through with developing her own Rhode brand instead, according to the latter Rhode’s legal team.
“She did this despite knowing of Rhode and its prior rights,” Lisa T. Simpson, lead litigation counsel to Rhode, told Page Six Style via email.
“It’s an unfortunate circumstance. We, of course, understand that Hailey wants to use her middle name for her brand, but the law on this is clear: you can’t create this kind of brand confusion just because you want to use your name. What Ms. Bieber is doing is harming a minority co-owned business that two women have painstakingly built into a growing, global brand.”
Rhode, which debuted in 2014, is known for its brightly patterned dresses and separates, which are popular among celebrities like as Mindy Kaling and Kelly Clarkson.
Rhode co-founders Khatau and Vickers claim they were “forced” to bring the case “in order to protect our business” in a separate statement.
“While a global brand, we are still a young and growing company, and we cannot overcome a celebrity with Hailey’s following using our company’s name to sell related products,” they said.
“We don’t want to sue Hailey; we want to celebrate her. As fellow women
entrepreneurs, we wish her every success. Hailey has hard-earned star power and influence. She could choose any brand for her company. We have only the brand that we’ve built.”
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The lawsuit states that “the magnitude of Bieber’s following and the virality of her marketing will cause immediate, ongoing and irreparable harm to the Rhode brand.”
To minimise any misunderstanding between their businesses, the two business owners are seeking the court to prevent Bieber from using the Rhode name.
Bieber’s Rhode team was contacted for comment, but none was received at the time of writing.
Bieber applied for multiple trademarks in 2019 and 2020 as she planned her debut into the beauty sector.
The BareMinerals spokesperson first tried to register the moniker Bieber Beauty, but her application was denied owing to potential confusion with Justin Bieber’s existing trademarks.
“The reason this might feel strange is that there actually is a connection between Hailey Bieber and Justin Bieber,” Alexandra Roberts, an associate professor at the University of New Hampshire School of Law, told Page Six Style at the time.
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“If the marks coexisting leads consumers to think the brands are associated, they’re not exactly wrong.”
Despite fighting the decision, Bieber ultimately dropped it and chose to use her middle name, Rhode.
