Rihanna prevails in Topshop T-Shirt row

Managing IP is part of Legal Benchmarking Limited, 1-2 Paris Gardens, London, SE1 8ND

Copyright © Legal Benchmarking Limited and its affiliated companies 2026

Accessibility | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Modern Slavery Statement

Rihanna prevails in Topshop T-Shirt row

A UK court has ruled that clothing chain Topshop was guilty of passing off after it sold a T-Shirt emblazoned with an unauthorised image of singer Rihanna

The BBC reports that Mr Justice Birss made it clear in his ruling that there was no such thing as a general right by a famous person to control the reproduction of their image.

"The mere sale by a trader of a T-shirt bearing an image of a famous person is not an act of passing off,” he said.

But he ruled that in this case, Topshop’s sale of the T-Shirt, complete with a photo of the singer taken without her permission and originally marketed as the "Rihanna Tank", amounted to passing off.



more from across site and SHARED ros bottom lb

More from across our site

Nick Aries and Elizabeth Louca at Bird & Bird unpick the legal questions raised by a very public social media spat concerning the ‘Brooklyn Beckham’ trademark
Michael Conway, who joined Birketts after nearly two decades at an IP boutique, says he was intrigued by the challenge of joining a general practice firm
The private-equity-backed firm said hires from DLA Piper and Eversheds Sutherland will help it become the IP partner of choice for innovative businesses
The acquisition is expected to help Clorox bolster its position in the health and hygiene consumer products market
AIPPI, which has faced boycott threats over the 2027 World Congress, says it has a long-standing commitment to engagement and geographic rotation
The shortlist for our annual Americas Awards will be published next month, with potential winners in more than 90 categories set to be revealed
News of Nokia signing a licensing deal with a Chinese automaker and Linklaters appointing a new head of tech and IP were also among the top talking points
After five IP partners left the firm for White & Case, the IP market could yet see more laterals
The court plans to introduce a system for expert-led SEP mediation, intended to help parties come to an agreement within three sessions
Paul Chapman and Robert Lind, who are retiring from Marks & Clerk after 30-year careers, discuss workplace loyalty, client care, and why we should be optimistic but cautious about AI
Gift this article