Rihanna Wins High Court Image Rights Battle Against Topshop
Pop princess Rihanna has won the fight for rights of a picture of herself printed on a Topshop T-shirt
Pop princess Rihanna has won the fight for rights of a picture of herself printed on a Topshop T-shirt
Rihanna has successfully sued fashion giant Topshop for rights over her an image of herself printed on one of their T-shirts.
The music mogul won £3.3 million in damages at the High Court in London after accusing the fashion brand of 'attempting to pass off' a design as approved and therefore endorsed by her.
The garment in question was a white tank top on sale in 2011, which featured an image of the star taken without her knowledge by a freelance photographer on the set of her 'We Found Love' video in Northern Ireland.
When Rihanna's lawyers confronted the brand about the Tee, which they were then selling under the guise of 'Rihanna Tank', they changed the item name to 'Headscarf Girl Tank' and later 'Icon Tank'.
The sale was deemed damaging to her 'goodwill' by the judge, who claimed that her fans may have been 'duped' into thinking she was associated with the retailer.
The judge said it indicated a loss of control over her reputation in the 'fashion sphere.'
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Fashion fans wanting a piece of Rihanna might look to her recent official collection for River Island, a huge high street rival for The Arcadia Group which houses Topshop and other fashion brands such as Miss Selfridge, Dorothy Perkins and BHS.
The outcome of this case may come as a surprise to some as it will set a precedent for future cases where a star's association with the brand is implied by their name or face being used unwillingly.
Rihanna seems to have put her imprint on everything these days, so her victory is a pretty big deal for the fashion world. Obviously Rihanna is in total control of how her world domination is rolled out.
WATCH: Rihanna's River Island collection launch
RIHANNA FOR RIVER ISLAND HIGH SUMMER IN PICTURES
IN PICTURES: RIHANNA ROCKS GIVENCHY ON DIAMONDS TOUR
RIHANNA KICKSTARTS NEW HAIR TREND AS SHE UNVEILS NEW GREY 'DO
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