Nipsey Hussle's estate has launched a legal battle against the Crips.
According to TMZ, the late rapper's brother Samiel Asghedom is suing Crips LLC. over trademark rights to "The Marathon Continues"—a slogan that has become synonymous with Nipsey's brand. The suit claims the Los Angeles-based street gang attempted to trademark the phrase "for various services" and clothing in 2019, just a couple of months after Nipsey was fatally shot. The estate points out that the family already secured "Marathon" trademarks for various services and products, including Nipsey's clothing store.
News of the lawsuit comes more than a year after Nipsey's family expressed frustration over the Crips' trademark applications. The gang initially apologized to the family and suggested they would withdraw the filings.
"We respectively vow to support the wishes of Lauren London (Nipsey's longtime girlfriend) and the Asghedom family," the Crips wrote.
However, the gang has since justified their "Marathon" trademark applications, stating: "The Crips organization has long used the phrase ‘The Marathon Continues’ as our ideology slogan in the past. Ermias, became a well-known Crip and the phrase became popularized."
Nipsey's estate is reportedly seeking monetary damages as well as an order for the destruction of any Crips-produced merch that uses the "Marathon" trademarks.
