Kanye West was back in the news this week. West claimed that sneaker giant Adidas is suing him for $250 million.
“Let me explain really clearly to you guys what’s happening with Adidas. Not only are they putting out fake colorways that are not approved, they’re suing me for $250 million,” West said during an Instagram Live session.
West doesn’t appear to be too bothered by the lawsuit. He is currently in Paris with his wife Bianca Censori. During their trip, they were greeted by a group of fans who were chanting ‘F*** Adidas‘.
West went beast mode earlier this week after the company teased new colorways of the sneakers that he designed. West also claimed that he is not being paid by the company.
“They’re also not paying me for these shoes that they’re putting out that have my name on it,” he added. “They’re using contract clauses and 50 years of business experience to rape an artist, one of y’all favorite artists, right in front of y’all in broad daylight.”
🚨 Kanye West e fãs puxando o canto 'F*da-se a Adidas' hoje em Paris
— RAP MAIS (@RapMais) February 28, 2024
Rapper ainda autografou vinil de fã com as mesmas palavras, 'F*da-se a Adidas' pic.twitter.com/WSfneOoYES
Adidas Claims Ownership to Kanye West Designs
West and Adidas linked up in 2013 after a failed partnership with rival sneaker giant, Nike. And together they build one of the most groundbreaking sneaker brands of all time. Fans lined up in droves just for an opportunity to purchase them.
But things went sour when West began making anti-Semitic comments. In October 2022 the company denounced his behavior and announced they were parting ways with him.
Even though the company alleged to stop paying Kanye, they claimed to still own the design rights and therefore said they legally could sell the products.
“Adidas is the sole owner of all design rights to existing products as well as previous and new colorways under the partnership,” the company wrote in a statement.
Sneaker Giants Hits Back at Class Action Lawsuit
Adidas is in some legal trouble of its own. The company at one point employed Kanye. And because of that, they are fighting a class-action lawsuit. The lawsuit alleges that Adidas failed to warn their shareholder about Kanye’s offensive behavior which ultimately led to the split. It has significantly impacted their sales.
But the company is fighting back, claiming that the plaintiffs have no such case.
“This lawsuit is a misguided attempt to transform the dramatic and unfortunate end of the commercial partnership between Adidas and Ye… into a claim for securities fraud,” Adidas’ attorneys wrote in the filing.
“Plaintiff opportunistically takes those unfortunate events and asserts, without basis, that earlier statements by Adidas were somehow fraudulent.”