Kendall Jenner’s 818 Tequila faces a lawsuit from Austin-based competitor Tequila 512, which alleges that Jenner’s brand copied its logo and color scheme, NBC affiliate KXAN reports.
According to a lawsuit filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court in the Central District of California, Tequila 512 claims that 818 Tequila, which launched in May 2021, “blatantly” copies its branding, ripping off the company’s “highly distinctive logo and color scheme that has been in place since 2015.”
“And out of the entire world of colors and shapes to use for product design, Defendant chose to copy Plaintiff’s distinctive black lettering inside a vertical yellow rectangle,” the lawsuit states.
Tequila 512 also cites a May 2021 incident in which 818 Tequila, while promoting its brand on the “Kim Kardashian: Hollywood” app, used a picture of a bottle of 512, rather than its own.
“Either Defendant intentionally used Plaintiff’s bottle, hoping to further blur the lines between the two products, or Defendant was itself confused about the difference between the two brands,” the lawsuit states.
Backed by a federal trademark registration for 512, the Texas brand has requested that the court stop 818 from using its branding to market its products. In addition, ClipBandits, LLC, which sells Tequila 512, is seeking to be compensated with the profits Jenner’s company made from its alleged infringement.
“We are reviewing the complaint and believe the allegations are without merit,” 818 said in a statement. Jenner was not named in the suit.
