Kim Kardashian’s plans of trademarking ‘SKKN by Kim’ hits roadblock as rival issues cease-and-desist

Kim Kardashian, 40, has hit a bit of a roadblock on her journey to world domination as a serious businesswoman and beauty mogul. According to reports, the Keeping Up With The Kardashians star has been hit with a cease-and-desist by a rival beauty brand after she tried to trademark “SKKN” as her new brand name, following the recent KKW Beauty revamp, which she collaborated with ex Kanye West on.

According to TMZ, Kim Kardashian new beauty line, “SKKN by Kim” could be thrown into absolute chaos after Beauty Concepts LLC, owned by Cydnie Lunsford, sent the SKIMS founder a cease-and-desist over the use of the name, “SKKN”.

Kim Kardashian filed to trademark ‘SKKN’ in April

The reality star, entrepreneur, soon-to-be lawyer and mom of four made headlines back in April after it was discovered that Kim Kardashian had filed a trademark application to potentially launch a new brand called “SKKN by Kim”, which according to WWD would include “skincare, haircare, nail products, perfumes, candles, and more.”

At the time Kim Kardashian had not yet announced her plans to rebrand KKW Beauty, so many believed the SKIMS founder was going to be launching a whole new brand altogether, further fueled by the acquisition of a website name, SKKN.com and various @SKKN social media handles by Kim’s team in December 2020.

But with her recent announcement of the KKW Beauty relaunch, it’s clear the motion filed in March was with the intent to reintroduce her makeup brand to the world with its new name, but it could all have been for nothing, with these less than ideal developments.

Kim Kardashian issued with a cease-and-desist over ‘SKKN’ name use

According to TMZ, Beauty Concept LLC issued Kim’s legal team with a cease-and-desist claiming that they already own the name “SKKN” and have been operating a website and social media handles under the SKKN+ name for a number of years.

They also claimed they had applied to the US Patent and Trademark Office in March to legally register a logo for the brand.

The main grievance for Cydnie Lunsford’s SKKN+ brand seems to be based on the fact that if Kim Kardashian were to obtain a legal right to the name “SKKN” it would create “confusion” over Kim’s products and that of SKKN+’s, she also added in the claim that the company had invested “an extraordinary amount” of time and effort into marketing the SKKN+ services.

However, Kim Kardashian’s lawyer, Michael G. Rhodes, told TMZ that despite the legal bind they might think they have found themselves in, Kim is still legally allowed to use the SKKN name should she wish to, and ended up also sharing his disappointment with Cydnie Lundsford attempt at contacting media outlets, before their scheduled meeting.

"“We certainly appreciate and support small businesses, and our hat is off to Ms. Lunsford. But the question at hand is one of trademark law and we’ve not done anything deserving of legal action by her. We are disappointed that she has chosen to run to the media knowing that we were scheduling a call for tomorrow, requested by her attorney. So while disagreeing with the letter, we’re hopeful that we can smooth things over once both sides speak.”"