A member of Run DMC has filed a $50m (£40m)
trademark lawsuit against Wal-Mart, Amazon
and other US retailers.
Darryl 'DMC' McDaniels has accused the
corporate giants of "advertising, selling,
manufacturing, promoting and distributing
multiple products" in the group's trademarked
name without his consent.
The 52-year-old rapper is the founder of the
1980s hip-hop group and the owner of the
band's brand name.
The lawsuit was filed in the Southern District of
New York by McDaniels, regarding products
including glasses, hats, t-shirts, patches, wallets
and other items of the DMC brand.
The lawsuit alleges the retailers have "improperly
profited, diluted and harmed Run DMC".
The rapper says the brand has generated more
than $100m (£80m) in revenue since its
inception in 1981.
The group is considered a hip-hop pioneer, with
hits including King of Rock, It's Tricky and the
Aerosmith collaboration Walk This Way.
Run DMC was founded in New York by
McDaniels, Joseph 'Run' Simmons and Jason
'Jam Master Jay' Mizell.
The group stopped recording after Master Jay
was shot dead in his Queens recording studio in
2002.
The Run DMC logo became a symbol of hip-hop
culture and its success outlived the group.
Amazon and Wal-Mart, which also owns similarly
accused Jet, did not immediately respond to a
request for comment.
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