Drake and 21 Savage have avoided paying a requested $4million for the use of a fake Vogue cover as part of the roll out for their 2022 collaboration Her Loss.
According to FADER, lawyers for the two artists met attorneys for the magazine’s parent company Condé Nast out of court, and were able to settle the company’s lawsuit for an undisclosed amount. As part of the settlement, Condé Nast also received an injunction to prevent the commercial use of the magazine’s trademarks, including the name Vogue, in perpetuity.
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The company’s attorney Will Bowes also stated that the payment from Drake and 21 Savage will “bolster our ongoing creative output, including Vogue editorial.”
Ahead of the release of their chart-topping release in November 2022, the duo trolled fans and the media with a series of fake interview and performance clips, as well as a replica issue of Vogue, which they shared on social media.
A little over a week later Condé Nast filed a lawsuit against the OVO hitmaker and Slaughter Gang rapper, claiming they have not “endorsed” the Her Loss promo in any way TMZ reported.
The mock magazine even included a doctored photo of Drake with long-running Vogue Editor-in-Chief Anna Wintour inside.
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TMZ’s sources claimed Drake’s team were “surprised and confused” by the lawsuit as other entities like Howard Stern and NPR have happily played along with the album promo run. However, Condé Nast claimed they repeatedly told reps for Drizzy and 21 Savage that they didn’t have its permission to produce and distribute the magazine.
Along with the lawsuit, Condé Nast filed a motion to prevent Drake and 21 Savage from continuing to use their doctored up image in any way. According to Billboard, U.S. District Judge Jed Rakoff sided with during a hearing on November 9, with Rakoff ruling that the fake magazines were “deceiving the public” and “misleading consumers.”
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Judge Rakoff issued a temporary restraining order for Drake and 21 to immediately stop distributing the fake magazines. According to the report, the judge’s injunction suggested Condé Nast would eventually win the lawsuit altogether.
While this lawsuit resulted in only a partial victory, Drake saw another legal win this week when his legal team succeeded in getting him out of sitting through a deposition over XXXTENTACION‘s murder have proved successful.
TMZ reported Tuesday (February 14) that Judge Michael A. Usan has signed off on Drake’s motion to avoid the deposition following the court’s previous order for him to sit down later this month and answer questions.
Drake’s attorney Bradford Cohen argued that the court had no relevant information to bring his client in, which the judge ultimately agreed with.
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Suspect Dedrick Williams’ lawyer Mauricio Padilla had presented Drake as a possible alternative theory to X’s murder, citing their beef before the Florida rapper’s death.
Padilla tried to subpoena Drake for a deposition last month before the trial commenced, claiming that the Toronto native was properly served but failed to show up for the deposition. Because of this, Padilla then petitioned the court for an “order to show cause,” which the judge then granted on Thursday (February 9). The order requested Drake’s presence for a deposition on February 24.
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Days later, Drizzy’s lawyer filed a motion to dismiss it, writing that he believes defense attorneys are only trying to “add more layers of celebrity and notoriety” to the case.
