Singer Beyonce Knowles is sued by Abercrombie and Fitch over an upcoming perfume line
The Single Ladies singer is being sued by clothing firm Abercrombie and Fitch in a bid to stop the singer from launching a line of perfumes.
Abercrombie said it was worried the line from Beyonce, who uses the alter ego Sasha Fierce, would infringe on its own Fierce fragrance brand.
The chain, which has sold a men’s fragrance called Fierce since 2002, wants a court to order Knowles to abandon the plan. Abercrombie has held a trademark for the word “fierce” since 2003, according to the lawsuit it filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Columbus.
Fierce is the scent dispersed by employees and machines in Abercrombie stores with the goal of infusing all the apparel they sell.
Knowles, who released an album in 2008 called “I am … Sasha Fierce,” will unfairly benefit from the reputation Abercrombie has built for the scent and could confuse or deceive customers into thinking Abercrombie is associated with her fragrance, the New Albany, Ohio-based retailer claimed in its lawsuit.
The singer announced Tuesday that she signed with the world’s largest fragrance company, Coty, to launch a line of perfumes in early 2010, the lawsuit says.
Executives at Coty Inc, partners in Knowles’ venture, deny that there will be a clash and claim they do not intend to use the terms ‘Fierce’ or ‘Sasha Fierce’ to market her product.
“The terms Fierce and Sasha Fierce are not being used as names of a Beyonce fragrance,” Coty said.
“Details related to the fragrance, including the official name, will be revealed prior to the launch in early 2010,” it added.
Abercrombie sells Fierce at more than 350 retail stores, typically for $40 (£24) to $70 (£42). It has sold more than $190m (£115m) worth of the fragrance since it was launched in 2002, and expects $64m (£39m) of sales in 2009.
When Knowles applied in September 2008 to trademark “Sasha Fierce” for a fragrance and other items, Abercrombie asked her to refrain from using the name for fragrance, but she disputed there would be any confusion, according to the lawsuit.
Knowles publicist Yvette Noel-Schure and attorney Larry McFarland did not immediately return e-mails and a call seeking comment Wednesday on the lawsuit.
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