Chart-topping producer and fashion icon Pharrell Williams is suing print-on-demand company Spreadshirt for $14 million. In a new lawsuit obtained by the Daily News, he claims that the company has been profiting from knockoff versions of his popular Billionaire Boys Club brand.
Brought by his company, BBC Ice Cream LLC, the suit accuses Spreadshirt of turning a blind eye to rogue sellers uploading and hawking phony BBC designs. But Pharrell and his attorneys claim that Spreadshirt wasn’t simply turning a blind eye to the fakes—rather, they were getting their hands dirty, facilitating the fakes themselves, printing, packing, and shipping them themselves while playing innocent in public.
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The complaint said that Spreadshirt had gone so far as to use simple, unbranded “white-label” packaging to disguise its role. Many customers assumed they would receive BBC originals, but instead, they received a poor remix of Pharrell’s fashion legacy.
“[Spreadshirt’s] conduct is completely unrelenting,” Williams’ lawyer, Richard J. Pocker, said in a statement. “BBC brings this case to an end this illegal conduct, for which it has received repeated cease and desists from BBC’s counsel, and to impose damages and other monetary relief on [Spreadshirt],” the suit reads.
This is more than just a trademark squabble; it is a knockdown, drag-out fight over artistic integrity. In the complaint, Spreadshirt is portrayed not as a neutral tech platform but as a writing partner in a knockoff swap. It accuses the company of neglecting the most basic protections for intellectual property, allowing illicit vendors to roam free and profit from the chaos.
Pharrell’s team is demanding not just the $14 million in damages but also an injunction prohibiting further infringement. They are seeking punitive and compensatory damages, as well as attorney’s fees. Legal jargon notwithstanding, the message is loud and clear: You better not mess with Pharrell’s fashion empire.
For context, Billionaire Boys Club is no ordinary streetwear label. Co-owned by Pharrell and Japanese designer Nigo since 2003, the label was integral in defining the cross-section of luxury, skate, and Hip-Hop styles. With iconic sub-labels like ICECREAM and Billionaire Girls Club under its belt, BBC has been everywhere, from music videos to high-end stores to significant pop culture moments, most recently making an appearance in Pharrell’s 2024 LEGO-produced biopic, Piece by Piece.
From flagship stores in New York and Miami to pro skater partnerships, Bee Line is the intersection of lifestyle meats, fashion, and functionality; its famed astronaut logo is synonymous with authenticity and innovation. That’s precisely what this lawsuit alleges has been endangered.
Pharrell has emerged as a defender of creative rights before, but legal action could prove risky. In a world where the culture of the counterfeit changes at a mile a minute, he’s making it plain: If they’re real creatives, they deserve absolute respect, and fakes will be met with fire.
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