Twenty One Pilots Sues Temu Over Counterfeit Merch

Twenty One Pilots LLC has filed a trademark infringement lawsuit against Temu over its alleged “knowing and systematic marketing and sale of counterfeit” merch.

The details:

• The company has targeted Temu’s alleged sale of “a myriad of items that are counterfeit or blatant copies of Plaintiff’s artwork, trademarks, and intellectual property.”

• Amongst those items are T-shirts that replicate the band’s merch at a far lower price than the official versions sold in their webstore, as well as phone cases, travel mugs, wall art and more.

• Twenty One Pilots LLC is seeking substantial damages as well as an end to the alleged “misconduct.”

The response:

• A Temu spokesperson told Digital Music News: “Temu respects the intellectual property rights of others and takes all infringement claims seriously. While we uphold this commitment, we will vigorously defend ourselves against unfounded allegations.”

Other suits:

• MF Doom filed a similar suit against Temu last month.

• Last week Sony subsidiary Ceremony of Roses targeted alleged counterfeiters selling merch outside Benson Boone’s shows.

• As per Music Business Worldwide, other high profile lawsuits targeting counterfeit merch include one launched by Harry Styles in 2023, and another by Nirvana in 2022, when it sued around 200 online sellers on platforms like Etsy and Amazon.