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American model Kendall Jenner-owned brand 818 Tequila has been accused by Tequila 512 for blatantly stealing the name and design of their company.
On February 16, Tequila 512 filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court in the Central District of California, against its competitor. They alleged trademark infringement, false designation of origin, and unfair competition.
In court documents obtained by E! News, Tequila 512 claimed 818 Tequila copied its branding "blatantly and simply." The attorneys cite the use of a three-digit area code in the name of Jenner's brand (818 is the San Fernando Valley in California, and 512 is Austin, Texas). They also claimed 818 Tequila opted to "copy" the brand's distinctive black letters inside a yellow rectangle.
"Comparing the two products. Customers would easily believe, incorrectly, that the products are related."
As per statements obtained by Daily Mail, 818 Tequila has denied "any merit" in the claims by the competitor brand.
The representatives for Tequila 512 said that Jenner's alcohol brand had a lot of time to rectify their mistakes since the comparison between the two names surfaced in the media in 2021.
"We not only have a right to protect our trademarks, we actually have a legal obligation to do so. They know this and put us in this position of having no choice but to take action to protect our unique brand identity."
In May 2021, Kendall launched her brand and named it after the area code of the San Fernando Valley, where she grew up.
Kendall Jenner's half-sister Kim Kardashian also got dragged in the lawsuit
Although Kendall Jenner is the spokesperson for the brand, her sister Kim Kardashian is also named in the lawsuit. According to court documents, 818 Tequila advertised its drink on the mobile app game 'Kim Kardashian: Hollywood' as a virtual product.
However, instead of using 818's image and design, the game featured a bottle of 512 Tequila.
"Plaintiff did not authorize this use in any way. Either Defendant intentionally used Plaintiff's bottle, hoping to further blur the lines between the two products, or Defendant was itself confused about the difference between the two brands."
In May 2021, when 818 Tequila first launched, in a restricted post, Tequila 512 pointed out similarities between the two companies on Instagram.
In the caption, 515 talked about Kendall Jenner's new tequila brand and how everything, from color to process, is similar between the two. They also highlighted that even though their liquor is only distilled twice, she is charging double the amount per bottle than them.
