New York hardcore vets Sick of It All have filed a lawsuit against hip-hop duo Mobb Deep and clothing brand Surpreme for copyright infringement stemming from the use of the band’s dragon logo.
The suit was filed by Bush Baby Zamagate, Inc. — the company that owns Sick of It All’s intellectual property — which claims that Mobb Deep and Supreme used a logo nearly identical to the hardcore band’s long-standing dragon emblem, which has origins dating back to 1987.
“Defendants’ adoption and use of their knockoff logo … is not just reckless and inexplicable — it is willful infringement and unfair competition,” the lawsuit stated (per HipHopDX).
Furthermore, the lawsuit claims that in “June 2023, Supreme, a clothing and skateboarding lifestyle brand, as part of a collaboration with Mobb Deep, began using its logo on clothing goods, including t-shirts and hats. The similarities between the two marks, particularly when used on clothing, have confused and are confusing the media and consumers and are causing damage to Plaintiff’s senior mark and brand.”
Supreme and Mobb Deep’s Havoc (aka Kejuan Muchita),as well as the estate of late Mobb Deep member Prodigy (aka Albert Johnson), were named as defendants in the suit, which also states that this isn’t the first time Mobb Deep have improperly appropriated the dragon logo, as it has been intermittently used by Mobb Deep since 1997.
“Twice, most recently in 2003, Plaintiff previously demanded that Mobb Deep cease use of its infringing logo, and Mobb Deep and its affiliates complied,” the lawsuit read.
During a 2011 interview for Mishka NYC (via Blabbermouth), Prodigy revealed how he discovered the dragon symbol in a tattoo parlor before implementing it as the logo for Mobb Deep — eventually leading to a cease-and-desist letter.
“Basically, when I was 14 or 15, there was this tattoo parlor in Elmart off Hemstead turnpike and I had walked in there to get my first tattoo,” the rapper said. “There was this dragon on the wall and I didn’t know what it was, I just thought it looked ill, I was mad young and I had always wanted something on my hand. … I thought’d be cool, it’d look like some tough shit. So I told the dude put that on my hand. When me and Hav started Mobb Deep, we turned it into the lil clique thing. We wanted to turn it into the logo for Mobb Deep, but then we got a cease-and-desist letter in the mail…. That was just some random shit! We didn’t even know, we was just young kids.”
Bush Baby Zamagate, Inc. is seeking compensatory damages and that Mobb Deep and Supreme stop “using the Infringing Mark or any other mark or marks confusingly similar thereto, alone or in combination with other words, names, styles, titles, designs or marks in connection with the provision of any goods and services.”
Below you can see a comparison of the two logos in question.
Punk band Sick of It All is suing Mobb Deep and Supreme for trademark infringement.
SOIA says they've used the dragon design since 1987 and never authorized Mobb Deep or Supreme to use it. pic.twitter.com/ArLzdFChHR
— Rob Freund (@RobertFreundLaw) October 11, 2023
