Chance the Rapper is suing bootleggers for allegedly selling unauthorized merchandise outside his shows.
The Chicago rapper's company, Chance the Rapper LLC, owns the "Chance the Rapper" trademark, according to the complaint. But bootleggers purportedly showed up outside venues where Chance was performing during his 2016 tour with backpacks and duffel bags full of for-sale T-shirts, hats, sweatshirts and other swag emblazoned with allegedly trademarked images or logos, the complaint says.
The bootleggers will likely keep trying to sell their wares outside upcoming shows, according to the complaint, filed Wednesday in the U.S. District Court of Northern Illinois. That could create a quality control issue for Chance's brand.
The 24-year-old rapper kicks off a monthslong tour in San Diego on Monday and is one of the headliners at this year's Lollapalooza.
Chance the Rapper, Arcade Fire and Lorde are among the headliners announced Wednesday for Lollapalooza this summer in Chicago.
Muse, the XX, Blink-182, DJ Snake and Justice also are stacked at the top of the festival, which returns to Grant Park on Aug. 3-6. One-day tickets ($120) go on sale at...
Chance the Rapper, Arcade Fire and Lorde are among the headliners announced Wednesday for Lollapalooza this summer in Chicago.
Muse, the XX, Blink-182, DJ Snake and Justice also are stacked at the top of the festival, which returns to Grant Park on Aug. 3-6. One-day tickets ($120) go on sale at...
Though the items allegedly being sold are "generally of inferior quality" in comparison to the merchandise trademarked to Chance and his companies, their appearance is similar and could cause confusion among buyers, the complaint alleges.
"The sale of such merchandise is likely to injure (Chance's and the plaintiffs') reputation," the complaint states.
A similar suit was filed in September in connection with Chance's 2016 tour.
Chance, a protege of Kanye West, is not new to the rap scene. Born Chancelor Bennett and raised on the South Side, the rapper has drawn national attention for years, but he topped the charts the past year. He won his first three Grammy Awards in February for best new artist, rap album and rap performance.
Bruce the Governor and Chance the Rapper emerged from their much-hyped meeting Friday offering different perspectives on what went on behind closed doors for 40 minutes or so in the upper reaches of the James R. Thompson Center.
The South Side rapper said he was "a little bit flustered" and was...
Bruce the Governor and Chance the Rapper emerged from their much-hyped meeting Friday offering different perspectives on what went on behind closed doors for 40 minutes or so in the upper reaches of the James R. Thompson Center.
The South Side rapper said he was "a little bit flustered" and was...
He's also known for his humanitarian work in Chicago, recently going to bat with Gov. Bruce Rauner over efforts to fix the city schools, then writing a $1 million check to Chicago Public Schools in what he dubbed a "call to action."
The bootleggers in the suit are not named, as their real names are still unknown. CTR Touring, which makes, distributes and sells Chance's authorized merchandise, was named as a plaintiff, along with Chance the Rapper LLC.
Attorneys representing the plaintiffs did not respond to requests for comment.
The complaint asks the court to authorize state and local police, off-duty officers or anyone acting under the plaintiffs' supervision to seize and impound any of the rip-off merchandise that bootleggers attempt to sell near venues within a 24-hour period of each performance.
amarotti@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @AllyMarotti
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