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Lawsuit filed over the Rolling Stones’ “tongue and lips” logo

By Jill Lances Mar 30, 2023 | 11:00 AM
Henning Kaiser/picture alliance via Getty Images

A new lawsuit has been filed over the Rolling Stones’ iconic “tongue and lips” logo. 

According to Billboard, the suit was filed in federal court by an apparel retailer named Simply Southern. Simply Southern claims Universal Music Group’s Bravado merch company, which does the merchandising for the Stones and other bands, has been threatening them over a T-shirt that Bravado claims features a “confusingly similar” logo to the one made famous by the Stones. 

Simply Southern says Bravado sent them a cease-and-desist letter over the shirt, which features a “disembodied mouth,” which Bravado believes is too similar to the Stones logo. Simply Southern argues that their design is “clearly and demonstrably different,” noting their image has “a more plump lower lip, more square teeth, and a wider and more open mouth.” 

They want the court to rule that their design does not infringe on “Bravado’s asserted intellectual property rights.”

The Rolling Stones are not named in the lawsuit.

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