unicornshutterstock-307341374
22 September 2016Copyright

Amazon in defecating unicorn shirt quarrel with artist

A graphic artist has hit online retailer Amazon, and its subsidiary Woot, with a copyright infringement lawsuit.

Liza Phoenix alleged that the companies had copied and sold her image of a unicorn defecating sprinkles onto a cupcake, called “Sprinkle Poo”.

The image is part of Phoenix’s illustrations of “kawaii”, a Japanese-influenced trend that emphasises cuteness.

The suit was filed yesterday, September 21, at the US District Court for the Northern District of Texas, Dallas Division.

Phoenix claimed that Amazon and Woot had produced and sold t-shirts and other clothing displaying the unicorn image.

The image was registered as copyright in December 2015 and assigned the registration number VA 2-007-632.

“The harm caused to Phoenix has been irreparable,” said the suit.

Phoenix is seeking injunctive relief, a jury trial, damages and an order to pay profits made from the companies’ infringing actions.

Already registered?

Login to your account

To request a FREE 2-week trial subscription, please signup.
NOTE - this can take up to 48hrs to be approved.

Two Weeks Free Trial

For multi-user price options, or to check if your company has an existing subscription that we can add you to for FREE, please email Adrian Tapping at atapping@newtonmedia.co.uk