The Notorious B.I.G.’s estate is taking legal action against retailers who are allegedly using the late rapper’s image without permission. Multiple stores are named as allegedly selling merchandise with an unauthorized image of Biggie, real name Christopher Wallace.
According to Billboard, a lawsuit filed Tuesday (Feb. 4) in federal court by Notorious BIG LLC claims Target, Home Depot, Nordstrom, and Bed Bath & Beyond sold an image of Wallace illegally created by iCanvas – a small firm that the estate says showed a “complete disregard for celebrities’ personality rights, lack of respect for artists’ efforts, and disdain for intellectual property law.”
Overall view of a mural of Rapper The Notorious B.I.G. (aka Christopher Wallace) near his childhood home on January 29, 2020 in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, New York. Artwork by Scoot Zimmerman and Maoufal Alaoui.
Al Pereira/Michael Ochs Archives
“Defendants specifically chose to use Mr. Wallace’s persona, name, image, likeness … in an attempt to capitalize on their fame and extraordinary financial value,” Biggie’s estate details in the filing.
“Mr. Wallace’s fan base has continued to expand since his passing,” continued the estate’s lawyers. “Mr. Wallace’s persona, name, image, likeness, and artistic works are so well known that they are almost universally and instantly recognizable, even by those born after he died.”
The crown worn by Notorious B.I.G. when photographed by Barron Claiborne as the King of New York is displayed during a preview at Sotheby’s for their Inaugural HIP HOP Auction on September 12, 2020 in New York City.
Cindy Ord/Getty Images
The image referenced in the lawsuit is the iconic King Of New York photo, where the legendary rapper is wearing a plastic gold crown in front of a red backdrop. It was taken by photographer Barron Claiborne in March 1997, days before his tragic death. Claiborne is also listed as a plaintiff in the lawsuit, Billboard notes.
In the filing of the plaintiff’s claim, iCanvas sold canvas prints of the images for more than eight years without permission, naming the aforementioned retailers as guilty of moving the merchandise for profit. According to Billboard, in 2023, Home Depot, Nordstrom, and Target were contacted about selling the image without proper permission and removed the items from their shelves. Bed Bath & Beyond and iCanvas still allegedly sell the prints.
iCanvas also allegedly sells unauthorized prints of Prince, Jay-Z, Snoop Dog, LL Cool J., and Beyoncé.
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