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Kendall and Kylie Jenner sued by photographer for Tupac t-shirts

By Shaunee Flowers

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Kendall and Kylie Jenner have responded to a lawsuit related to their recent t-shirt release, calling it “baseless.” 

Michael Miller accused Kendall and Kylie Jenner of using his photograph of Tupac for their short-lived retro t-shirt line. Miller was just one of the many complaining after the Jenner sisters introduced the t-shirt line which featured their faces and brand logo superimposed over many recognizable band t-shirts from over the past few decades.

Michael Miller said on Friday that the Jenner sisters “misappropriated and exploited” his photography work. He went on to say that the KUWTK  stars “intended to exploit his photography, let alone obtain his authorization.”

Initially, Kendall and Kylie were criticized by Biggie Smalls’ mom Voletta Wallace, who was angry that the Kendall + Kylie brand borrowed her son’s image without permission.

Sharon Osbourne took shots at Kendall and Kylie Jenner next, telling them that they haven’t earned the right to put their faces over rock idols like her husband Ozzy Osbourne. Sharon offered up some advice for the KUTWK stars.

Taking aim at Kylie’s burgeoning Kylie Cosmetics, Sharon suggested that Kendall and Kylie should do what they know and continue making lip gloss.

Now, Rolling Stone reports that Kendall and Kylie Jenner are facing even more trouble because famed Tupac photographer Michael Miller isn’t satisfied with the apology shared by the Kendall + Kylie brand. It doesn’t even seem to matter to him that the girls only sold two t-shirts with Tupac’s mug on them.

Now the fight is on to see if Miller has a case or if the Jenner sisters gained all the permissions they needed in order to print the hotly contested t-shirts. Miller says there was no permission granted.

A spokesperson for Kendall and Kylie Jenner say they did have the legal right to print the shirts. A statement in defense of the KUWTK stars’ brand said:

"“The allegations made are completely false and the lawsuit is baseless. There has been no infringement or violation of anyone’s rights.”"

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Here is why those in charge of the Kendall + Kylie brand believe that they are not in legal danger. It looks like they purchased real vintage band t-shirts and then added their faces and logos to them rather than printing up the image themselves before reselling them at a much higher price.

“Canada Inc, the licensee manufacturer of the K + K brand, purchased a very small quantity of vintage T-shirts with performer images already on them. Only two Tupac T-shirts were sold before being pulled from distribution,” the statement continued. “Canada Inc did not copy anyone’s image, remove any copyright notice from any image or attempt to exploit Mr. Miller’s claimed right of publicity.”

It’s not clear yet what may come of the lawsuit against Kendall and Kylie Jenner. It’s really too soon to tell. The Jenner daughters already admitted that the vintage t-shirt release was a bad idea and apologized for not thinking it all the way through. Based on the explanation as to where the shirts came from, it looks like whether or not they committed a copyright violation might become a complicated issue.

Michael Miller still holds the copyright to the Tupac photos and has them registered with the U.S. Office of Copyright. If found to be in violation of copyright laws, Kendall and Kylie could end up being forced to pay him $150,000 per picture.

Next: Blac Chyna breaks her silence on Good Morning America