Kim Kardashian’s Lawyer Calls ‘SKKN’ Lawsuit By A Black-Owned Brooklyn Company A ‘Shakedown Effort’
SKKN by Kim is not having a smooth start. According to TMZ, Kim Kardashian’s new skincare brand, which launched earlier in June, is currently in a serious trademark lawsuit with Beauty Concepts, a Black-owned, woman-owned small business that has been offering salon services under the name "SKKN+" since 2018.
TMZ reports that Beauty Concepts’ founder Cydnie Lunsford sent a cease-and-desist letter to Kim in late July after her corporation filed trademark applications for SKKN by Kim and SKKN. But Kim and her team followed through with the launch of the skincare brand.
DailyMail.com shared a lengthy statement from Kim’s lawyer, Michael G. Rhodes, on Tuesday calling the lawsuit a “shakedown effort.”
The response reads in part, “This lawsuit is not what it seems. SKKN BY KIM is a new brand that follows in the footsteps of Ms. Kardashian's successful KKW line of products. Building on independent research and development, her company filed a trademark application for SKKN BY KIM to protect the new branded products. This prompted the current shakedown effort."
Rhodes added, “Since we've done nothing wrong, we stood our ground. We think the case is less about the law of trademarks and more about trying to leverage a settlement by threatening to harm Ms. Kardashian's name and reputation. That's not going to work and we look forward to presenting our case in court.”
Both parties are still battling over who has the trademark rights.
FYI: People on Twitter also accused the reality star of “copying” Lori Harvey's skincare line, SKN by LH.
