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| Run-DMC |
The rap group
Run-DMC has filed a $50 million lawsuit in New York Thursday, December 29,
2016, accusing Wal-Mart, Amazon, Jet and other retailers of selling products
that traded on the group's name without permission. Run-DMC was founded in New
York in 1981 by Simmons, McDaniels and Jason "Jam Master Jay" Mizell.
(Photo by Drew Gurian/Invision/AP, File)
A founder of the
group and owner of the Run-DMC brand, Darryl "DMC" McDaniels, was
listed as the plaintiff in the lawsuit, which was filed in the Southern
District of New York.
The complaint
said the defendants are "advertising, selling, manufacturing, promoting
and distributing multiple products" in the group's trademarked name. The
products include glasses, hats, t-shirts, patches, wallets and other items.
The lawsuit
alleged that the retailers have improperly profited, diluted and harmed the
Run-DMC brand, which it said has generated more than $100 million in revenue
since its inception in the 1980s.
Run-DMC was
founded in New York in 1981 by McDaniels, Joseph "Run" Simmons,
Darryl "DMC" and Jason "Jam Master Jay" Mizell, who was
fatally shot in his Queens recording studio in 2002. McDaniels and Simmons
later announced that the group was officially disbanding.
The group's hits
include "King of Rock, "It's Tricky," and "Can You Rock It
Like This."
In 2009, Run-DMC
was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, becoming only the second rap
act to be awarded that honor.
Amazon and
Wal-Mart, which also owns Jet, did not immediately respond to a request for
comment.
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