Conde Nast, which owns Vogue, previously filed a trademark infringement lawsuit against the 'Her Loss' collaborators back in November 2022 over the fake Vogue cover.
- February 17, 2023
AceShowbiz - Drake and 21 Savage's legal battle with Conde Nast seemingly has come to an end. It was unveiled that the "Her Loss" artists have settled a trademark infringement lawsuit filed by the publishing giant over a fake Vogue cover.
The rappers reportedly reached the settlement earlier this week. In an internal memo released on Thursday, February 16, Conde Nast general counsel William Bowes said that the company was "glad to put this matter behind us."
"As a creative company, we of course understand our brands may from time to time be referenced in other creative works," he added. "In this instance, however, it was clear to us that Drake and 21 Savage leveraged Vogue''s reputation for their own commercial purposes and, in the process, confused audiences who trust Vogue as the authoritative voice on fashion and culture."
Drake and 21 Savage were sued by Conde Nast, which owns Vogue, back in November 2022. The company alleged that the pair's promotional campaign for "Her Loss" was "built entirely on the use of the Vogue marks and the premise that Drake and 21 Savage would be featured on the cover of Vogue's next issue." The statement further stressed, "All of this is false. And none of it has been authorized by Conde Nast."
Conde Nast also claimed the Canadian star and his collaborator created and distributed counterfeit issues of Vogue that were distributed in "North America's largest metropolitan areas," alongside posters of the faux cover. The magazine covers included a photoshopped collage of Drake posing with a young Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour.
While the amount of the settlement remains unclear, the global media company initially sought at least $4 million in damages, or triple the defendants' profits from their album and "counterfeit" magazine.
