Rihanna’s Instagram posts are killing Puma | Celebrities

What happened now? Well, the pop star became creative director at Puma in December 2014. Her fans were then shown, among other things, the moment she signed the contract. In the photos she wore white sneakers with a thick black sole.

In 2016, Puma registered the same – or very similar – shoes with the European Trademark Office. Companies must take this step to prevent counterfeiting.

However, a Dutch clothing and shoe wholesaler tried to prevent Puma from getting exclusive rights to sell the design. When submitting such an application, the design must be new and have its own character. That was not the case, according to trading company J. Van Hilst. Precisely because the sneakers were already publicly visible on Rihanna’s Instagram account.

In 2022, the company was proven right by the EU trademark office EUIPO for the first time. And now the EU court is also following suit. “The typical features of the model could be observed with the naked eye. If necessary, the photo could also be enlarged,” was the argument. In addition to the loss of the patent, Puma must also pay the legal costs.

The European court rejected Puma’s claim that “no one would have been interested in Rihanna’s sneakers”. “In December 2014 she was already a world-famous pop star. So her shoes were looked at in fashion circles, especially on the day she signed her contract as artistic director,” was the argument.

Many people have bought Rihanna’s shoes since the start of the collaboration. Puma has therefore benefited considerably from it. Last year, Rihanna launched her latest model, the Avanti sneaker.

Also read: If you’re so rich that Rihanna can perform at your son’s wedding, who is the Ambani family? (+)