Nirvana sues Marc Jacobs over reintroduced grunge collection

Not everyone is thrilled with the re-launch of Marc Jacobs’ grunge
collection. The American designer issued his notorious grunge
collection of the 1990s once again for resort 2019 with 26 iconic
looks from the original collection, as was announced in early
November. First introduced in 1992, the collection took inspiration
from the aesthetics of underground grunge music and is beloved amongst
consumers and fashion fans.

However, alternative rock band Nirvana, whose style contributed a
large amount of inspiration to the collection, is not entirely
satisfied with Marc Jacobs’ re-launch.

The band has accused Marc Jacobs of copyright infringement for
using Nirvana trademarks in the collection. Filed in a California
federal court last week, the lawsuit states that the Nirvana smiley
face logo was created by the band’s original frontman and founder Kurt
Cobain in 1991, and that “Nirvana has used that copyright-protected
design and logo continuously since to identify its music.”

Marc Jacobs sued over re-launch of 1992 grunge collecation

While apparel featuring this smiley face logo has been sold through
retailers such as Target or Urban Outfitters, the difference here is
that Marc Jacobs did not pay a license fee to Nirvana to use its
intellectual property.

The logo is printed on Marc Jacobs items including the “Bootleg
Grunge Tee,” the “Bootleg Grunge Sweatshirt” and the “Bootleg Grunge
Smiley Socks,” shown under the word “Heaven.”

Photos: marcjacobs.com