Drake Sued By Owners Of Vogue Over Fake Magazine Covers, Anna Wintour Says She Did Not ‘Endorse’
Nov. 8 2022, Published 11:36 a.m. ET
Drake and 21 Savage have been hit with a federal lawsuit by the company that owns Vogue after the rappers used fake magazine covers to hype their latest record Her Loss, RadarOnline.com has learned.
According to court documents obtained by RadarOnline.com, Condé Nast has filed suit in the Southern District of New York seeking $4 million dollars for alleged trademark infringement.
Condé Nast explained it was upset with Drake and 21 Savage mocking up fake Vogue magazines with them on the cover.
“This action arises out of a widespread promotional campaign recently launched by world-famous musical artists Drake and 21 Savage, built entirely on the use of the VOGUE marks and the premise that Drake and 21 Savage would be featured on the cover of Vogue’s next issue as a means of promoting Defendants’ newly released album Her Loss,” the suit reads.
“All of this is false,” the complaint continued. “And none of this has been authorized by Condé Nast.”
The company said “in furtherance of their deceptive campaign” Drake and 21 Savage have “gone so far as to create a counterfeit issue of Vogue magazine - distributing copies in North America’s largest metropolitan areas plastering posters of the counterfeit cover along streets and buildings throughout these cities, and disseminating images of the unauthorized counterfeit magazine to the more than 135 million social media users who actively follow Drake and 21 Savage on social media.”
The lawsuit points out Drake even posted a message on social making it appear the cover was real. He wrote, “Me and my brother on newsstands tomorrow!! Thanks @voguemagazine and Anna Wintour for the love and support on this historic moment. Her Loss Nov 4th.”
“Vogue magazine and its Editor-in-Chief Anna Wintour have had no involvement in Her Loss or its promotion, and have not endorsed it in any way,” the suit explained.
Condé’s lawyer continued, “Nor did Condé Nast authorize, much less support, the creation and widespread dissemination of a counterfeit issue of Vogue, or a counterfeit version of perhaps one of the most carefully curated covers in all of the publication business in service of promoting Defendants’ new album.”
The company said its readers were genuinely confused and believed Drake and 21 Savage were set to be on the cover.
Condé Nast demanded damages along with an injunction prohibiting Drake and 21 Savage from using the Vogue trademark