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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Entertainment
Guardian music

Run-DMC file $50m lawsuit against Amazon and Walmart

Tricky … Joseph ‘Run’ Simmons, left, and Darryl ‘DMC’ McDaniels of Run-DMC.
Tricky … Joseph ‘Run’ Simmons, left, and Darryl ‘DMC’ McDaniels of Run-DMC. Photograph: Drew Gurian/Invision/AP

Run-DMC have filed a $50m (£40.7m) lawsuit against retailers including Amazon, accusing them of trading on the group’s name without permission.

Darryl “DMC” McDaniels, founding member of the legendary rap group, claims that the stores, which also included Walmart and Jet, did not have the right to sell products including T-shirts, wallets and hats bearing the Run-DMC logo. McDaniels, who owns a firm named Run-DMC Brand, said that these products violated federal trademark laws.

Keen to stress the value of the brand’s iconic logo, McDaniels pointed out that it had been licensed legitimately in the past to sportswear companies such as Adidas.

McDaniels founded Run DMC in 1981 along with fellow rapper Joseph “Run” Simmons and DJ Jam Master Jay, who was shot dead in 2002. Their hits include King of Rock, It’s Tricky and the pioneering Aerosmith cover Walk This Way.

Amazon and Walmart have yet to comment on the lawsuit.

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