The estate of Christopher “Notorious B.I.G.” Wallace is suing major retailers Bed Bath & Beyond, Target, Nordstrom, and Home Depot for selling unauthorized canvas prints of the late rapper.
The lawsuit, filed Feb. 4 in New York federal court, claims Wallace’s famous “King of New York” photo was recreated and illegally distributed by iCanvas. The plaintiffs in the case are The Notorious B.I.G. LLC, Republic Merchandising, and photographer Barron Claiborne, Billboard reported.
The plaintiffs allege the photo has been used illegally since 2015 and displayed prominently on various merchandise, with “complete disregard for celebrities’ personality rights.”
The lawsuit states, “Defendants used Mr. Wallace’s persona, name, image, and likeness, as well as several trademarks relating to him, and Mr. Claiborne’s K.O.N.Y. series photographs, for many years, across numerous items, and in multiple ways, without authorization.”
This is not the first time Claiborne and Notorious B.I.G’s estate have sought to stop the unauthorized use of the image, taken days before the Brooklyn rapper’s death. Home Depot, Nordstrom, and Target removed the products when contacted in 2023 about the illegal use, but iCanvas and Bed Bath & Beyond allegedly kept the unlicensed items on the shelves.
The lawsuit claims iCanvas has knowingly profited from these images since 2015, in violation of federal trademark law, Wallace’s likeness rights held by his estate, and Claiborne’s copyrights.
The estate is constantly battling to protect the image and likeness of the late rapper. In
The image of Notorious B.I.G. is well-known and considered a part of Hip-Hop history. The “One More Chance” rapper stands before a blood-red backdrop wearing a golden crown.
The popularity and importance of the pic in Hip-Hop culture are evidenced by the selling of B.I.G’s plastic crown at auction for $594,750. The plastic artifact was sold at Sotheby’s auction house as a part of a Hip-Hop memorabilia showcase in September 2020.
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