Cuomo Warns Khloe Kardashian to Stop Selling T-Shirts With State Logo; New York Governor Takes Action [PHOTO]
Khloe Kardashian pulled a T-shirt from sale hours after New York Govenor Andrew Cuomo deemed that the logo resembled a N.Y. state logo.
The $35 dollar shirt found itself mired in controversy after the New York Daily News reported on Monday about Cuomo's claim of the potential copyright violation. The emblem was almost identical to a state Department of Agriculture logo.
Kardashian was pictured last week wearing a shirt emblazoned with a circular logo. It featured the Statue of Liberty and was surrounded by the words "New York" and "Rich Soil," the name of the clothing line she and her husband Lamar Odom own.
The T-shirt can be viewed here.
Cuomo administration sent a letter to the Los Angeles-based fashion house. Representatives demanded that the shirts be pulled from sale, along with other advertisements or merchandise featuring the logo. The state also wanted an estimate as to how much money the clothing line had made from the T-Shirt. The administration threatened to file a lawsuit if Kardashian and Odom did not comply within five days.
"The State of New York has invested substantial time, effort and resources creating the respect and goodwill associated with the trademark," Susan Rosenthal, a lawyer for the Department of Agriculture, said in the letter sent to Rich Soil.
In a news conference on Monday, Cuomo declined to take any pleasure in his apparent victory. He only offered a smile and a few words on the matter.
"I wish I could [comment] in some ways," Cuomo said. "Because it would at least be a little more interesting than what I normally do."
State Agriculture Commissioner Darrel Aubertine froze when reporters questioned whether he felt Kardashain was an appropriate spokesperson for New York. Aubertine was asked if he thought the reality TV show star would be good for business.
"I am not sure...'Pride of New York' is a good logo," he said, before Cuomo bailed him out by joking, "You think these jobs are easy?"
Kardashian has not publicly commented on the legal matter but may have referenced to the incident in a tweet. On Monday, the same day the potential lawsuit was publicly revealed, she vented her frustrations about the problems in her life.
"Just one of them days.... Always something. Man oh man... Why can't people look for the positive rather then LIVING in the negative?" she tweeted.
