Condé Nast has reportedly won an undisclosed financial settlement in a lawsuit charging that music stars Drake and 21 Savage violated Vogue’s trademark last year in a promotion for their album “Her Loss.” According to the lawsuit filed with the US District Court for the Southern District of New York, Vogue’s publisher had asked for $4 million.
The album promotion allegedly featured false claims that the two artists would be featured on the cover of Vogue, and a counterfeit issue of Vogue was also created and distributed in large cities. These false claims were also circulated on social media, causing confusion among Vogue’s audience.
The settlement has not yet been filed in the case file for the lawsuit, and it is not clear if it will include the requested $4 million. The victory will “bolster our ongoing creative output, including Vogue editorial,” according to Will Bowes, general counsel for Condé Nast, in a memo to staff.
Bowes added that while they understand that their brands may be referenced in other creative works, in this instance, it was clear that Drake and 21 Savage leveraged Vogue’s reputation for their own commercial purposes and confused audiences who trust Vogue as the authoritative voice on fashion and culture.
In November, the artists reportedly agreed to a preliminary injunction requiring them to remove the fake Vogue covers. It is important to note that Vogue magazine and its Editor-in-Chief Anna Wintour had no involvement in “Her Loss” or its promotion, and did not endorse it in any way.
