Kim Kardashian allegedly turned down the Judd Foundation’s offer of authentic Donald Judd furniture in exchange for deleting a video.
The Judd Foundation filed a lawsuit against Kardashian and her Los Angeles-based interior design firm Clements Design after the celebrity claimed she had “Donald Judd desks” that were found to be inauthentic. According to the suit, Clements Design manufactured the table and chairs “in the style of Donald Judd,” according to an invoice that included photographs of Judd’s original designs. The foundation says the company’s actions constitute “trademark and copyright infringement” and accuses Kardashian of false advertising.
in the statements made to New York Times, the interior design firm said it believed the issue had been resolved, as there were “obvious key differences” between Kardashian’s and Judd’s original designs by Clements Design. Neither the company nor its lawyers responded Hyperallergicrequest for comment.
Megan Bannigan, a partner at Debevoise & Plimpton and an adviser to the Judd Foundation, said “it’s very interesting what Clements is saying, but it’s not reality.”
“Clements did not offer to reasonably resolve this matter,” Bannigan said Hyperallergic. “And the point is that these boards are not just copies, but when Clements promoted them to Ms. Kardashian, he used Donald Judd’s copyrighted photo for it.”
It all started with a promotional video Kardashian posted in 2022 that took viewers on a virtual tour of the office of her SKKN By Kim company. Early in the tour, Kardashian mentions that “these Donald Judd tables are really amazing and match the seating perfectly,” as the camera pans over a 12-seater table with striking similarities to Judd’s “La Mansana Table” (1982) and “Chair.” . 84″ (1991).
According to the lawsuit, the Judd Foundation became aware of Kardashian’s video a couple of days after it was uploaded and immediately notified its representatives, who admitted that the furniture was not the artist.
The two sides didn’t see eye to eye on a resolution, with the Judd Foundation demanding the video be taken down entirely with a public statement of retraction, but Kardashian and her reps wanted to cancel and point out the correction in their caption. They went back and forth when Kardashian suggested doing a social media post for the Foundation, while also offering a discount for removing the actual Judd table and chairs from the video, a statement of withdrawal, and recycling the furniture.
According to the lawsuit, when the Judd Foundation contacted Clements Design after learning that the company had designed and manufactured furniture for the Kardashians, the company allegedly responded through legal counsel “denying the Judd Foundation’s rights to the furniture designs and refusing to cease manufacturing and selling the furniture.” they sell commercials.”
The foundation also alleges that the company never advertised the furniture to Kardashian as a genuine Donald Judd creation, and that it could not take responsibility for what it said in the video.
However, the Foundation obtained the company’s 2020 invoice from Kardashian, which included copyright photos of Judd’s “La Mansana Table” and “Chair 84” and stated that his furniture designs were “in the style of Donald Judd.” The foundation is claiming financial and reputational damages because Clements Design fraudulently marketed the furniture as authentic Judd creations to Kardashian and the general public, especially after numerous misrepresentations in the press. Architectural Digest, fashionand US weeklyamong other publications.
“We are pleased that, as a result of the filing of the lawsuit, the video has been removed,” Bannigan continued. Hyperallergic. “We wish this had happened sooner. This lawsuit will vindicate not only the Judd Foundation’s intellectual property rights, but the enduring importance of Donald Judd’s designs.”
