The owners of ‘White Lives Matter’ could consider selling the trademark to Kanye West – if only he pays them this amount.
If you’ve been following the Kanye West drama – willingly or unwillingly – you know that accountability has come for the rapper.
After being dropped by luxury brands, deals, and his own PR and lawyers, Ye was perhaps hoping to once again turn losses into gains by selling his controversial ‘White Lives Matter’ shirts – until two Black radio hosts acquired the trademark for the phrase, making it illegal for West to put it on clothing and make money off of.
Now, Ramses Ja and Quinton Ward, the hosts who own the trademark, say they could consider selling it to Kanye West – or any buyer – if he forks up a billion USD. Now, a few days ago, that money may not have put a dent into West’s fortune, but after being dropped by Adidas, West’s net worth now clocks in at around $400 million USD.
Ja discussed the possibility of selling the trademark during an appearance on TMZ, but not before reminding people that selling the trademark is not on the duo’s minds at all at present. “Well, it’s important to bear in mind that right now we’re not looking for that. We’re not soliciting that. We don’t anticipate that as an outcome.”
“However–” Ramses added, “–we were tasked with doing the most good with this manoeuvre. If there was a person say, for instance, who came forward and said ‘I would like to offer you a billion dollars for this mark,’ there is a lot more – because we were charged with donating that money, to certainly have to spread that money around to different Black [organisations] fighting for Black and Brown people’s rights and communities across the country.”
Ja insisted that while he and Ward had not talked about selling the trademark, a substantial amount of money and the potential good it could do for such organisations could ‘do more good in terms of combating voter suppression initiatives,’ ‘bringing attention to environmental racism,’ ‘police brutality,’ and getting ‘police reform off the ground’.
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But what if West decided to sell the shirts anyway? Ja and Ward claim they’re ready to pursue legal action against anyone who infringes on the trademark.
Kanye West debuted his ‘White Lives Matter’ shirts at this year’s Paris Fashion Week to rampant criticism. Soon after, the rapper also followed up with anti-semitic remarks, leading to multiple brands and associates cutting ties with him – including the lucrative Adidas deal that wiped billions off of West’s net worth.
For more on this topic, follow the Hip Hop Observer.
