Pop singer Rihanna has won a court case against retailer Topshop, which was selling T-shirts bearing her image without permission, according to BBC News.
The singer sued Topshop’s parent company, Arcadia Group Brands Ltd., for $5 million over the T-shirts, which featured a photo of her taken during a video shoot in 2011.
Rihanna’s lawyers told London’s High Court that the picture was similar to images used on one of her albums, stating that the fashion chain deceived fans and possibly harmed her reputation.
Topshop’s lawyers said Rihanna was making an unjustifiable bid to institute a “freestanding image right” over use of her image in the United Kingdom.
Judge Justice Birss ruled in favor of Rihanna, stating that a “substantial number” of buyers likely purchased T-shirts because of a “false belief” that Rihanna had authorized their sale. He said it was damaging to her “goodwill” and caused a loss of control over her reputation in the fashion realm, where the singer operates her own clothing line at a competitor’s store.
The judge did not make an assessment of damages in his ruling. — L.M.
