Rihanna sues her father Ronald over use of their surname 'Fenty'
Lucy Handley
Published 20 Mins Ago Updated 11 Mins Ago
CNBC.com
Artist Rihanna has sued her father Ronald for using "Fenty," their surname, claiming he aimed to extract "millions of dollars" for his own business.
The star says she has nothing to do with Fenty Entertainment, and that “Although Mr. Fenty is Rihanna’s father, he does not have, and never has had, authority to act on Rihanna’s behalf.”
In 2018, Ronald tried to trademark the phrase “Fenty” for a line of boutique hotels, but it was shot down by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office.
Rihanna claims she has sent many cease and desist letters to her father and his business partner, but they did not stop. She is now forced to file a lawsuit and wants an injunction against her father, as well as unspecified damages.
Rihanna has discussed her rocky relationship with her father in the past, claiming she witnessed Ronald abusing her mom when she was a child. She told Oprah that she once witnessed her mother suffer a broken nose at the hands of her father.
Ronald Fenty and business partner Moses Joktan Perkins run Fenty Entertainment LLC, which Rihanna says is nothing to do with her. In the lawsuit, she accuses the partners of exploiting her fame and attempting to connect the name with "resort hotel services." It also alleges they negotiated a deal for Rihanna to play 15 shows in Latin America for $15 million, which she had not authorized.
The “Umbrella” singer claims some of the erroneous bookings by her father includes a $15 million tour in Latin America and two concerts at Staples Center in Los Angeles and T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas for $400,000. In both cases, she claims to have nothing to do with the bookings.
She also says Ronald claimed he ran the business offers by Rihanna’s actual label, Roc Nation, but the singer argues nobody from Roc Nation was ever made aware of anything Ronald was doing.
Rihanna — full name Robyn Rihanna Fenty — launched makeup line Fenty Beauty in 2017 and it reportedly sold $100 million worth of products in its first 40 days. The name is also used for Rihanna's lingerie brand, Savage x Fenty, which was released last May, and she also has a footwear and apparel line with Puma. Her first collaboration with the sportswear brand helped its sales reach almost $1 billion in its fourth quarter reported in February 2016. She also owns the trademarks Fenty Glow, House of Fenty and Fenty Fragrance, among others, according to the suit.
Puma
Singer Travis Scott and Rihanna in a 2015 advertising campaign for her Puma sneaker line
"Although Mr Fenty is Rihanna's father, he does not have, and never has had, authority to act on Rihanna's behalf, nor has he ever been authorized to use her name, intellectual property or publicity rights," states a court document dated January 15, 2019, obtained by entertainment website Variety.
It adds that the defendants have been sent cease and desist notices to stop claiming they are connected to the Fenty name, but they have continued "to falsely state and advertise to third parties that the company is affiliated with Rihanna and the Fenty brand."
An undated press release on the Fenty Entertainment website describes the company as "a groundbreaking entertainment company, focused on cultivating new talent and developing TV and media platforms for promoting brand development."
Along with Rihanna, the plaintiffs are her two companies Roraj Trade LLC and Combermere Entertainment Properties.
Fenty Entertainment had not responded to CNBC's request for comment at the time of publication.
