Rihanna is currently embroiled in one less lawsuit thanks to a new settlement. Almost three months after Fenty Corp. was sued by Eva’s Photography, Inc. for copyright infringement after posting a photo of model Gigi Hadid in the corseted dark denim jacket from its first collection, Rihanna’s Fenty Corp. has agreed to settle the case in lieu of filing a formal answer or motion to dismiss in connection with the New York-based professional photography company’s case.
According to the docket for the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, counsel for Eva’s Photography filed a Notice of Settlement this week, indicating that the parties have managed to come to a swift resolution to the case out of court and long before trial. Eva’s Photography initiated the case against Fenty on October 1, alleging that Rihanna’s corporate entity infringed its copyright in a photo of Hadid by posting it on the Instagram account of the musician-slash-fashion/beauty mogul’s Paris-based fashion brand.
In doing so, Eva’s Photography claimed that Fenty ran afoul of its exclusive right to reproduce, publicly display, distribute and/or use the photo, and/or authorize others to do the same – in a “willful, intentional, and purposeful” manner and “in disregard of and indifference to [Eva’s] rights” as the copyright holder. As such, the photo agency asserted that it was “entitled to statutory damages up to $150,000 per work infringed for [Fenty’s] willful infringement of the photo.”
The terms of the parties’ settlement are confidential.
With that case out of the picture, Rihanna is, nonetheless, still in the midst of the $75 million lawsuit that she filed against her father for allegedly using their family surname to “solicit millions of dollars from unsuspecting third parties.” According to the complaint that Rihanna filed against her dad Ronald Fenty, his business partner, Moses Joktan Perkins, and their company Fenty Entertainment, LLC in a California federal court in January, the two men are on the hook for “fraudulently misrepresent[ing] to third parties and the public that their company, Fenty Entertainment is affiliated with Rihanna, and has the authority to act on her behalf.”
While Fenty Entertainment may sound like a legitimate venture, that could not be further from the truth, the multi-hyphenate Grammy winner claims in the suit. In reality, 31-year old Rihanna – born Robyn Rihanna Fenty – claims that she is not in any way affiliated with the barely 2-year old Fenty Entertainment venture, nor did she authorize Mr. Fenty and Perkins to engage in what she says are “fraudulent” business deals on her behalf.
Rihanna – who is suing in her personal capacity, along with two of her affiliated companies, Roraj Trade LLC and Combermere Entertainment Properties – is seeking injunctive relief to keep the defendants from piggybacking on her name for their benefit. She has also demanded monetary damages to the tune of approximately $75 million in connection with her claims of federal trademark infringement, false designation of origin, and false advertising, among other federal and California state law claims.
That was has been making its way towards trial, which is scheduled for late June 2020 has been estimated by the court to last for 3-4 days. That is, unless, the parties settle before then.
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