Madonna Logo Lawsuit: Artist Fears Image Being Commercialized
The new fragrance released by Madonna has come under more scrutiny after an Australian artist filed a lawsuit, claiming that the pop-star's new scent logo bares a striking similarity to his own trademark.
Madonna recently released a new fragrance labeled Truth or Dare. The bottle contains a capital "M" logo with what looks like a cross or lower case "t" coming out of the center of the "M." RJ Williams fears that his artistic talent has been attacked and slandered by commercialism.
According to the Australian artist, who has filed suit, that is his own logo, which he has placed on a number of different shirts.
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"Friends from all over the world have been calling me upon seeing the Truth or Dare by Madonna campaign to express their disgust and support," Williams told the paper.
According to Williams, it has little to do with the money; "it's about my integrity as an artist," he said. "I do not think it should be able to be used by a giant cosmetics company."
This is the second time that Madonna's fragrance has been put in the spotlight, though neither case concerns the scent of the perfume. The commercial in which Madonna appears to promote the new scent was also pulled after being considered too risqué. The pop star was given the option to tone the commercial down or only air it after 9 p.m., according to AOL Music.
"I don't understand. It was perfectly innocent," Madonna told Women's Wear Daily. "I just touch my cleavage once or something."
This is also not the first time that Madonna has been sued by a local designer. In 2011, Madonna headed to court after a local designer charged that it had sold clothes under the label "Material Girl" since 1997, charging that Madonna's use of the label was a violation of trademark.
Madonna unsuccessfully tried to have the suit thrown out, on the grounds that she had coined the phrase in 1984 with her "Material Girl" song.
