Cuomo Warns Khloe Kardashian to Change Shirt to Avoid Copyright Law
Gov. Andrew Cuomo penned an unusual correspondence to reality television star Khloe Kardashian over legal matters this week.
New York's governor confirmed on Monday that his administration sent what he called a "pro forma" letter warning Kardashian that the logo on her t-shirt line may infringe upon copyright law.
In the letter, Cuomo informed the former "X-Factor" host that items from her T-shirt line resembles the logo of a New York farm program, according to The Associated Press.
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Cuomo attended a press conference in Albany Monday where he was asked to comment on the letter to Kardashian.
"I wish I could in some ways," said the governor, according to Politicker.com. "It would at least be a little more interesting than what I normally do … My understanding was that was basically sent out as a copyright infringement letter on a sort of pro forma monitoring basis."
It is assumed that Cuomo hopes that the "Keeping Up with the Kardashian" star will heed the warning and change her t-shirt line, thereby avoiding a lawsuit.
When it comes to illicitly copied material, the slang term bootleg can be applied, and violating copyright laws can result in serious repercussions.
The state's design has an image of the Statue of Liberty above crop rows and surrounded by the words "Pride of New York." The State Department of Agriculture's logo designates food grown in the state.
"The State of New York has invested substantial time, effort and resources creating the respect and goodwill associated with the trademark," a department lawyer wrote to Kardashian's company, according to The New York Daily News on Friday.
Alternately, Kardashian's shirt features the Statue of Liberty image and crop rows and "Rich Soil New York" emblazoned in similar font to the New York logo.
Kardashian owns the high-end t-shirt line alongside her husband, NBA star Lamar Odom. The pair have not yet commented on the e-mail about the shirt.
