Kendall Jenner’s Tequila Brand Accuses Competitor Of Filing ‘Frivolous’ Lawsuit For PR Stunt
May 10 2022, Published 5:19 p.m. ET
Kendall Jenner’s tequila company scoffed at allegations it ripped off a competitor’s design and demanded a judge not sign off on an injunction that could force the company to cease sales.
According to court documents obtained by Radar, Kendall’s 818 Tequila company is asking for the lawsuit filed earlier this year to be dismissed.
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As RadarOnline.com first reported, earlier this year, the company Tequila 512 filed a federal lawsuit against the Hulu star's company.
The suit accused 818 of federal trademark infringement, false designation of origin, and unfair competition.
They claimed Kendall straight-up ripped off their name, brand, and bottling. 512 was named after the Austin area code while the reality star's name is based on her Los Angeles area code.
In court docs, 512 said they had been around since 2015 while Kendall only launched her brand last year.
512 also took issue with the color scheme that 818 used on the bottle — using yellow and black font. They claimed it was done to confuse consumers.
"The Kardashian-Jenner family strikes again," the lawsuit read. "This time Kendall Jenner has associated herself with a new tequila brand, 818 Tequila, that intentionally copies Plaintiff's tequila brand, Tequila 512. The similarities are so striking that this cannot be a result of coincidence."
To make matters worse, 512 said Kim Kardashian’s app was utilized to promote Kendall’s tequila launch. The developers added a bottle that looked close to a 512 bottle, the company claims.
512 said they reached out to the makers of the game and the bottle was quickly changed. The company claimed this proved their argument that consumers were confused by the two brands.
The company demanded an injunction forcing Kendall’s company to change their design along with all profits pulled in.
In 818’s new filing, Kendall’s company called the lawsuit “frivolous” and “crafted to boost publicity surrounding [512’s] lesser-known tequila brand.”
The reality star also accused 512 of using the lawsuit to promote their line. She said the company “turned the lawsuit into its ongoing social-media marketing campaign, rushing to post articles about the lawsuit featuring photographs of Jenner on its Instagram account … thereby blatantly exploiting the popularity and influence of 818’s brand ambassador Jenner, for its own commercial gain.”
Kendall’s company said it choose the name 818 to “reflect” brand ambassador Kendall Jenner’s love for her family and life that is based in Southern California’s 818 area code.
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In the response, 818 said the allegations in the complaint are “patently absurd.” The company denied the names are similar and argued 512 cannot own the concept of using a number in connection with the sale of alcoholic beverages.”
818 also argued “there is no indication that confusion is likely, as the shape and size of the bottles, and the color, design, and font of the labels could not be more different.’
Kendall’s company accused 512 of having an “improper motive” with the lawsuit. Her company is demanding the entire suit be tossed.
