Drake & 21 Savage Pay Up After Settling Fake Vogue Cover Lawsuit
Emma Martin The legal battle between Vogue’s publisher Conde Nast and Drake and 21 Savage has come to an end after months of litigation. Drake and 21 Savage originally released a fake Vogue magazine cover in November to promote their joint Her Loss album.
This wasn’t the only piece of false media they put out to promote the album. The rappers also came out with a fake Saturday Night Live performance, a deep fake interview with Howard Stern, and a fake appearance on NPR’s Tiny Desk.
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While many took the fake promotions in good humor, including NPR and Howard Stern, Conde Nast wasn’t feeling the joke. Shortly after the faux Vogue cover was released, the company filed a lawsuit for copyright infringement in a Manhattan court.
Conde Nast released a statement at the time via their lawyers, saying, “Vogue magazine and its Editor-in-Chief Anna Wintour have had no involvement in Her Loss or its promotion, and have not endorsed it in any way.”
“Nor did Condé Nast authorize, much less support, the creation and widespread dissemination of a counterfeit issue of Vogue, or a counterfeit version of perhaps one of the most carefully curated covers in all of the publication business,” the statement continued.
Shortly after, a judge agreed to a preliminary injunction that forced Drake and 21 Savage to remove all references to the fake Vogue piece, as it was determined to be “misleading consumers.”
Now, the court has approved a permanent injunction, which will stop the rappers from using Vogue’s trademarks or likeness in any sense. Drake and 21 Savage also reportedly had to pay an undisclosed settlement to the publisher.
One of the attorneys for Conde Nast, William Bowes, has since issued a statement expressing satisfaction with the outcome of the settlement.
“[Conde Nast] glad to put this matter behind us,” they lawyer said. “As a creative company, we of course understand our brands may from time to time be referenced in other creative works.”
He continued, “In this instance, however, it was clear to us that Drake and 21 Savage leveraged Vogue’s reputation for their own commercial purposes and, in the process, confused audiences who trust Vogue as the authoritative voice on fashion and culture.”
So far, neither Drake nor 21 Savage have publicly responded to the settlement.
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