Skechers USA is being sued for allegedly violating the rights of young model's images. The complaint filed in Los Angeles Superior Court states that Skechers
knowingly failed to pay for, and not have the right to use, numerous
images of its footwear being modeled in countless advertisements
distributed globally.
“Skechers paid a small sum of money for only limited use of these
images, for a limited amount of time,” said David Shraga, counsel
representing the group of young models, and founding partner of Kawahito
Shraga & Westrick LLP, in a statement. “Then, it disregarded these limitations and
embarked on a successful worldwide branding campaign that was built
around the images of these young models.”
The lawsuit alleges
that Skechers knew it did not pay for or have the rights to use the
models' images in a global campaign. In doing so, Skechers took
advantage of young up-and-coming models who would find it difficult to
discover the wrongdoing, especially as it took place in foreign
countries.
“Our clients became the faces of Skechers throughout
its worldwide efforts to build its brand,” Shraga added. “Skechers' own
executives have attributed billions in sales to these campaigns. The
full extent of Skechers' exploitation of the very models that defined
its worldwide brand is not yet fully known. We believe there are more
models out there that have claims — particularly ones who worked with
the renowned photographer Richard Reinsdorf, who has already filed his
own lawsuit against Skechers.”
The models are seeking
compensatory damages for amounts they were never paid, punitive damages
to punish Skechers and deter others from engaging in similar conduct and
a share of Skechers' profits derived from the unauthorized use. The
models are seeking no less than $10 million in compensation for
Skechers' misappropriation of their likenesses.
