French dance duo Justice is seeking legal justice from Justin Bieber over the singer’s forthcoming LP, which is titled Justice, and uses a logo similar to Justice’s trademarked “cross” band logo.
“The morning Bieber announced his album [Feb. 26], it was pretty tough to miss,” Justice’s co-manager Tyler Goldberg of Jet Management told Rolling Stone. “Aside from seeing it all over the internet ourselves, we heard from hundreds of people throughout the day — industry people, Justice fans — and the Justice guys received a ton of messages, not only compelled to point out the similarities between the Justice Justin Bieber album, but confused. ‘Is this a Justice collaboration?’”
Earlier this month, SPIN spoke with a member of Justice’s management team who expressed their displeasure about the similarities with both logos.
In a March 10 letter from Justice’s legal team to Bieber’s lawyer, management and agency, which was obtained by SPIN, the duo called for Bieber to cease and desist his use of “Justice” in tandem with the “cross,” a “Mark” which the duo trademarked in both France (in 2008) and the European Union (in 2014).
“Your use of the Mark is illegal. You have not received permission from Justice to utilize the Mark,” the letter states. “Moreover, Bieber’s work is in no way affiliated with, supported by, or sponsored by Justice. Such use of the Mark is not only illegal but likely to deceive and confuse consumers.”
The cease-and-desist letter also includes an April 29, 2020 email in which Bieber’s team reached out to Justice’s management in order to connect with the designer who created Justice’s logo, which SPIN previously reported.
SPIN has obtained copies of those emails, which say, “We’re trying to track down the designer who did the below logo for Justice. Was hoping you could help point me in the right direction.”
That logo designer, in a return email, tells Bieber’s management, “I’m available to discuss about [sic] logo design sometime next week.”
As mentioned to SPIN several weeks ago, Bieber’s team didn’t respond to subsequent emails.
Justice’s legal team went on to cite previous trademark cases involving brands like Bacardi and L.L. Bean to support the claim that Bieber’s use of the Justice logo is both infringement and “trademark dilution.”
Electronic duo Justice is comprised of Gaspard Augé and Xavier de Rosnay. The band’s debut album Cross was released in June 2007 and was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Electronic/Dance Album. The band’s remix of the MGMT song “Electric Feel” won the Grammy Award for Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical in 2009.
Justice’s most recent release is 2016’s Woman, put out by Ed Banger Records and Because Music.
Bieber’s album lands on March 19, and the singer is already selling merch with the Justice logo.
A rep for Bieber didn’t immediately respond to SPIN’s request for comment.
