Pharrell Williams accuses clothing brand Spreadshirt of copyright infringement in new $14 million lawsuit

Pharrell Williams is pursuing legal action against Spreadshirt, a print-on-demand clothing company, for allegedly producing and selling counterfeit Billionaire Boys Club (BBC) merchandise. The lawsuit, as reported in an exclusive by AllHipHop on June 22, 2025, was filed by Williams’ company, BBC Ice Cream LLC, and seeks $14 million in damages.

According to the complaint, Spreadshirt allegedly enabled third-party vendors to upload unlicensed BBC designs, then printed, packaged, and shipped merchandise to buyers. The lawsuit argues that Spreadshirt acted as an active participant in the infringement. BBC accuses the company of masking its role through white-label packaging that conceals the origin of the items.

Pharrell Williams' legal team has said that Spreadshirt’s actions have caused damage to the brand’s reputation and credibility. In the filing, attorney Richard J. Pocker stated,

“The manufacture, publishing, advertising for sale, and sales of counterfeit and infringing products persist. BBC brings this action to put a stop to this ongoing unlawful conduct and to hold [Spreadshirt] accountable for their actions.”

More about Pharrell Williams' lawsuit

According to AllHipHop, the lawsuit alleges that Spreadshirt violated multiple sections of federal trademark law, including counterfeiting, trademark dilution, and false designation of origin. The complaint also accuses Spreadshirt of profiting from intellectual property theft and doing little to prevent repeat violations.

The lawsuit also claims the accused company used white-label fulfillment to deliberately hide its involvement in distributing counterfeit BBC merchandise. It further states that customers were misled into believing they were purchasing legitimate merchandise.

Spreadshirt has not publicly responded to the allegations. The legal team representing the BBC is seeking compensatory and punitive damages as well as injunctive relief that would force Spreadshirt to stop all use of BBC’s trademarks and copyrighted material.

More about Billionaire Boys Club

Billionaire Boys Club (BBC) was co-founded in 2003 by Pharrell Williams and Japanese designer Nigo. It is a popular global streetwear brand and is known for its iconic graphics featuring skate and hip-hop aesthetics. BBC has also launched sublines like ICECREAM and Billionaire Girls Club to cater to a wider consumer base.

BBC operates flagship stores in New York and Miami, and has an international presence in Hong Kong. The brand also has retail partnerships with Nordstrom, END, Ssense, and Selfridges.

The brand's designs have appeared in major music videos, including Pharrell Williams' chart-topping single Happy and Snoop Dogg’s Drop It Like It’s Hot. In 2024, BBC was prominently featured in Piece by Piece, a LEGO-produced biographical documentary about Pharrell's life and creative evolution.

Beyond its visibility in music and entertainment, the BBC has collaborated with institutions such as the New York Yankees and designer Jeff Hamilton for exclusive merchandise for events like the NBA All-Star Weekend.

More about Pharrell Williams

Outside the courtroom, Pharrell Williams continues to play a major role in fashion and music. On June 22, 2025, Williams and Jackson Wang launched the collaborative collection Life is a Race in Paris under their brands BBC and TEAM WANG design, just ahead of Paris Fashion Week.

The event included immersive installations and the auction of two signed pieces, a biker jacket and a T-shirt, via Pharrell’s platform JOOPITER, with proceeds going to his nonprofit initiative, Black Ambition.

The Life is a Race collection will be launched on June 25, 2025 through TEAM WANG design, BBC’s website, and JOOPITER. The collaboration brings Wang’s aesthetic with Pharrell’s signature streetwear sensibility together for a unique collection.

Pharrell Williams also features in the upcoming reunion album by The Clipse, Let God Sort Them Out, set to release on July 11, 2025.

About the author

Devangee Halder is a Food and Pop culture writer at Sportskeeda. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Economics and a Master's Degree in International Studies. A bibliophile and foodie, her academic background, with the intersection of history and cultural studies, has deepened her love for reading and writing.

With over a year of experience, including an internship at Indian Express, which she landed through correspondence with editor Raj Kumar Jha, she transitioned into her current role at this company. As a journalist covering gastronomic trends and other news from the F&B Industry, she veers away from prescriptivism, and instead prioritizes questioning of current narratives, and forwarding relevant news, ensuring they are devoid of sensationalism.

Devangee approaches food with an interdisciplinary lens, locating it vis-à-vis areas such as culture, history, memory, and economics, within which culinary traditions found fruition and subsequently flourished. When not working, she enjoys cooking and reading, alongside her newfound interest in weightlifting. Among her favorite personalities are Sarah Todd and Vikas Khanna, and she admires the late chef Jock Zonfrillo for his work on indigenous food habits and ingredients.

Know More

Edited by pratigya dhali