French distiller Remy Martin has sued rapper 50 Cent, whose real name is Curtis James Jackson, over his Branson Cognac brand.
The lawsuit was filed in Manhattan federal court on August 13. The complaint alleges that the Branson cognac brand infringes on Remy Martin’s patent rights relating to its XO Cognac bottle design.
According to Reuters, the complaint made against Branson goes far as call their design a “blatant attempt” on Remy’s branding.
The lawsuit also describes the bottle as having a “circular array of raised flat and angled quadrilateral facets”, which helped the company reach worldwide notoriety after 35 years.
On the other hand, the complaint states that Branson’s branding of their bottle is “nearly indistinguishable” and is a “near-exact reproduction,” reported the news agency.
The rapper partnered with Sire Spirits in 2018 and Branson was launched thereafter. Branson cognac was only made available for purchase in 2020.
So what does the rapper have to say about all this? Taking to Instagram over the weekend, he mocked Remy Martin’s lawsuit towards his Sire Spirits model.
“They’re afraid of me already. Branson Cognac is the brand new wave. REMY is #2 Behind Henny and frightened about Branson Smh I’m simply getting started,” he wrote.
Does this lawsuit have any merit? Remy’s cognac bottle has a “jewel-shaped glass cognac bottle design”. Arguably, so does the 50’s Branson bottle.
But are they too similar? Check out the two bottle designs for yourself.
