Walmart is being accused of exploiting Big Pun's trademark almost 20 years after his death. The rapper's widow, Liza Rios, has slapped the retail giant with a lawsuit over a clothing and merchandise line that bears Pun's image, TMZ reports.
She claims some of the items ripped off the trademark she got after Pun passed away in 2000. Rios is now suing for all profits as well as an injunction to block future sales. The trademark is similar to Nike's iconic Jumpman logo of Michael Jordan, showing Pun leaping into the air, with a microphone in his hand instead of a basketball.
Along with Walmart, Rios is also suing Redbubble. According to the suit, the aforementioned companies and other manufacturers are "willfully infringing on her trademark," as they allegedly knew about the trademark but still continued to use it without permission. Rios is also demanding $10 million in statutory damages from Redbubble and Cloudflare. Walmart isn't part of that request.
Aside from Walmart's alleged wrongdoings, Big Pun's legacy continues to live on almost 20 years after his death. Last year, close friend Fat Joe credits him for changing his career for the better. "I saw the success from where I was gold, but I was rapping to guys in Army jackets, [with] two girls in the audience. Then when Pun was performing, it was girls, it was guys, people were having a fun time. So I wanted to make some hit records," Joe told Complex.
"And when he passed away, I wanted to keep the Terror Squad legacy going and bringing it to the mass media. So that’s when I started making hits like 'We Thuggin'' and 'What’s Luv?' and so forth. I guess it’s an addiction making hit records that the mass majority can love."
