Archive for the ‘Hells Angels’ Category

Motorcycle club Hells Angels filed a lawsuit against MTV and skateboarder Rob Dyrdek, claiming they stole the famous death head logo of the company.

According to reports, “Fantasy Factory” star Rob Dyrdek, whose company owns the “Young & Reckless” clothing label created by his cousin Chris Pfaff, is at the center of the Hells Angels’ lawsuit. The bike club claims that the clothing label “bears a design confusingly similar to the [flaming skull logo]” – and they never asked for permission. Death Head is a collective membership mark often seen on jackets and tattoos worn by Hells Angels associates.

The design, known as the “Death Head,” has been trademarked by the motorcycle club and had been used for more than 50 years now. But the group claims the MTV show, which stars Rob Dyrdek and his business, has desecrated the design by featuring it on T-shirts that were sold to the public.

In the lawsuit filed Wednesday at a federal court in California, Hells Angels said that the logo has great commercial value, for it has “acquired very widespread public recognition; consequently they evoke strong and immediate reactions whenever used. The impact of these marks is virtually incomparable, and as a result they have great commercial value.”

This is not the first time Hells Angels filed a lawsuit for allegedly copying their logo. The motorcycle club has previously sued fashion designer Alexander McQueen, Saks Fifth Avenue and online retailer Zappos.com for trademark infringement over a women’s handbag with a winged death motif.

Hells Angels claim that the actions of Rob Dyrdek caused “substantial damage” to the biker club, and believe that MTV violated their rights by broadcasting the stolen logos on “Fantasy Factory.”

The plaintiff wants an injunction and further damages.