Soulja Boy Sued for Stealing Clothing Designer’s Slogan
Just days after turning 20, rapper Soulja Boy was slapped with an unlikely birthday gift: a lawsuit. According to reports, the Atlanta native, born DeAndre Cortez Way, his musical associates Justin "JBar" Rucker, Abrahim "Arab" Mustafa, and his S.O.D. Money Gang Entertainment, Inc. are all accused of stealing designer Clement Brown Jr.'s slogan.
The suit, which was filed Friday (July 30) in a Michigan Eastern District Court, alleges that Soulja Boy and his crew re-worded the slogan displayed on Brown Jr.'s Laundry Money Clothing t-shirts, and are passing them off as their own. The slogan, which was copyrighted in 2008, reads "grind...hustle hard...double up...flip...stack...get your weight up...save...cop...invest...re-cop...reinvest....buy property...network...build credit...stay determined..."
Similarly Soulja Boy's motto partially reads "Grind...Hustle...Double Up...Flip...Stack...Get Yo Weight Up...Save...Shop...Invest...Recoup...Own Your Own Business...Buy Property...Network...Build Credit...Stay Determined...Stay Focused...Stay Dedicated..."
Brown Jr.'s lawyer, Jeffery P. Thennisch, also noted that the 'Crank That' rapper has a portion of the slogan tattooed on his chest, which he displayed in a photoshoot for 'Urban Ink' Magazine. The suit seeks unspecified damages for loss of profits, sales, loss of good will and copyright infringement, just to name a few. Soulja Boy has yet to respond to the allegations.