Former world champion boxer and “the baddest man on the planet” Mike Tyson has sued local streetwear retailer Culture Kings and its rich-lister owners for allegedly using his likeness to sell T-shirts without permission.
Filings lodged in the NSW Federal Court last Friday show Mr Tyson, described as a person of “widespread international fame, reputation and recognition”, initiating proceedings against Culture Kings for misleading and deceptive conduct.
Champion heavyweight boxer Mike Tyson has sued Australian streetwear retailer Culture Kings.Credit: Getty Images
The controversial boxer has alleged the retailer sold a range of clothing branded with sobriquets such as “Mike Tyson”, “Iron Mike”, and “Kid Dynamite” without his approval. Mr Tyson has owned the international trademark for “Mike Tyson” since 2010.
The clothing in question was not advertised as being unaffiliated with Mr Tyson and was sold alongside other official merchandise on the company’s website, with the boxer claiming their sale conveyed that Culture Kings had the approval or sponsorship of Mr Tyson, which was not the case.
Mr Tyson has said this amounts to misleading and deceptive conduct under Australian Consumer Law, and that Culture Kings has made false and misleading representations.
“References to the Applicant, images of the Applicant, and the words ‘Mike Tyson’, ‘Tyson’, ‘Iron Mike’, ‘Iron Mike Tyson’, and ‘Kid Dynamite’, would cause a consumer to associate a product bearing those references, images and words with the Applicant, and with the Applicant’s international fame, reputation and recognition,” the filing claims.
Much of the clothing mentioned by the heavyweight champion is still listed on the Culture Kings website and appears available in some stores, despite the company being sent numerous cease and desist letters by Mr Tyson’s legal team.
Culture Kings runs eight stores across the country along with a large online store and reported $183 million in revenue last year with a $19.4 million profit. The company has reportedly sold half of its business to a US private equity firm in order to expand the business in the American market. The deal reportedly values the business at $600 million.
Proceedings have been filed against the entire Culture Kings group of companies along with its founders, Simon and Tah-nee Beard, who made their debut on the AFR Rich List last month with an estimated net worth of $626 million.
Clothing sold by Culture Kings featuring Mike Tyson’s likeness.Credit: Culture Kings website
Mr Tyson is seeking losses and damages, an injunction preventing Culture Kings from selling the merchandise in question, and to be paid all profits made by the retailer from the sale of the offending apparel.
Culture Kings has been contacted for comment while legal representatives for Mr Tyson have confirmed he’s not issuing a statement at this stage.
More to come
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