Drake and 21 Savage have been sued by Vogue publisher Condé Nast, which alleges the musicians have been using the magazine name without permission to promote their new album “Her Loss.”
The lawsuit says the rappers’ promotional campaign, which uses a fake Vogue cover story to boost the album to their more than 135 million social media followers, violates intellectual property laws and misleads fans, according to reports.
The stars also orchestrated a fake appearance on NPR’s Tiny Desk and a bogus interview on “The Howard Stern Show” for the album, which was released on Friday. They distributed posters of the fake Vogue cover in major metropolitan areas, the lawsuit says, resulting in “unmistakable” public confusion.
Neither Drake nor 21 Savage’s reps responded to reporters’ requests for comment.
Condé Nast says in the lawsuit, filed Monday in federal court in New York, that the rappers’ campaign was built “entirely” on unauthorized use of Vogue trademarks and false representations. The suit seeks at least $4 million in damages, or triple the duo’s profits from their album and “counterfeit” magazine, unspecified punitive damages, and an end to the fakery.
Last month, Drake shared a photo of the fake Vogue cover, expressing gratitude to longtime editor-in-chief Anna Wintour for “love and support.”
“Me and my brother on newsstands tomorrow,” Drake wrote in the post. “Thanks, Vogue magazine, and Anna Wintour, for the love and support on this historic moment.”
The lawsuit says Vogue and Wintour “have not endorsed” the record “in any way” and Condé Nast only sued after asking the musicians and their teams “multiple times” to stop using the magazine name.
“Defendants’ flippant disregard for Conde Nast’s rights have left it with no choice but to commence this action,” the company says Lain the lawsuit.