Remember that infamous ‘White Lives Matter’ hoodie that appeared during Paris Fashion Week? Apparently, Kanye ‘Ye’ West can’t sell it due to him not owning the rights to the ‘White Lives Matter’ phrase. Luckily for the rapper, an opportunity has opened up for him to get the rights to the controversial phrase, for a heavy price tag of course.
According to TMZ, Civic Cipher radio hosts, Ramses Ja and Quinton Ward, own the rights to the phrase after an ‘anonymous listener’ claimed the phrase’s trademark. It was reported that the listener trademarked the phrase on the same day when the hoodies appeared during Paris Fashion Week, and transferred ownership to the two radio hosts.
Ja and Ward told TMZ they have no desire to sell the trademark. However, if Ye were to offer them $1 billion, they would consider it as they believe they could “do so much good with that kind of money.” Ramses told TMZ they plan to donate that money to different organizations, fighting for POC’s rights if they receive the money.
“If there was a person, say for instance, came forward and said “I would like to offer you a billion dollars for this mark,” there is a lot more. We were in charge of donating that money, we have to spread that money around to different black orgs, fighting for black and brown people’s rights and communities across the country.”
While Ja and Ward currently own the rights to the trademark, they need to use it for public trade in order to retain the rights. Rames revealed that they don’t have to be “successful” to keep the rights, just as long as it’s publicly available for purchase. He said that ‘White lives matter’ shirts are available “somewhere” to purchase. However, the price might be a deterrent for those planning to get one.
“You have to be in business to protect your trademark. But there is no requirement that say you have to be successful in business. And so, I’m not promoting where you could find and acquire these shirts. If a person was to find that, they might discover that it is not priced in a way that most people can afford.”
What’s interesting to note is that West lost his billionaire status after multiple brands, such as Balenciaga and Adidas, cut ties with the rapper. At the same time, West’s documentary was shelved after he was dropped by the CAA.
Ramses told TMZ that their lawyers would take legal action if West or anyone else sold anything containing the phrase. Neither West nor his representatives have reached out to purchase the trademark from them.
