Everything You Need to Know About the Lawsuit Against Jeffree Star and Manny MUA
Back in March, beauty junkies everywhere went crazy over Jeffree Star and Manny Gutierrez (a.k.a. Manny MUA)’s upcoming makeup collaboration. The set (the first-ever launched as a joint effort by two men), includes a Skin Frost highlighter and two liquid lipsticks, and features Star’s logo and Gutierrez’s signature crescent moon.
However, just four days before the kit was set to launch (and on Manny’s 26th birthday), the beauty influencer besties were hit with a copyright and trademark infringement lawsuit which threatened to halt the release of the product on April 8th.
The lawsuit was filed by McArthur Law Firm and claims the packaging was a rip-off of Black Moon Cosmetics’ products. The complaint says Black Moon Cosmetics was “the first cosmetic company to use packaging incorporating a mark consisting of holographic crescent moon on a black background to distribute cosmetic products” and the similarities between the two logos are likely to “cause confusion with Black Moon’s trademarked and copyrighted designs.” (Note: Manny MUA’s Makeup Geek collection product packaging also contain the same crescent moon.)
Interestingly enough, the lawsuit also suggests the similar logos are not a case of negligence, and includes a screenshot of an Instagram direct message between Manny and Black Moon Cosmetics, in which the makeup artist discusses his fondness for the makeup brand’s packaging. It even cites Instagram comments in which users note the similarities between the two logos.
Yikes.
As a result, Black Moon Cosmetics is “seeking an injunction to stop the sale of the infringing products as well as damages including MUA and [Jeffree Star Cosmetics]’s revenue and Black Moon’s attorneys’ fees.”
The evening of the lawsuit filing, at the collaboration’s launch party in California, Jeffree took to the stage to “address the elephant in the room,” about the “crazy drama” that occurred earlier in the day, according to Cosmopolitan.
“His logo’s been a moon for years and my logo’s a star,” Star explained. “We combined them. It was easy — the stars and the moon align.”
“It was a true collaboration,” Manny added.
“So, sadly, someone had a similar thing,” Jeffree continued, noting “everything is being handled legally. The collaboration’s good. Everything’s happening, and there’s no more drama.”
We’ll keep you posted on what happens next.
UPDATE (April 6, 2017): Jeffree Star and Manny MUA released the following statement to Cosmopolitan.com:
“The issue has been resolved. The Jeffree Star Cosmetics x Manny MUA collaboration will launch as planned on April 8th. We are so grateful for the continued support of our fans and are excited to share this moment with them.”
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