LOS ANGELES, Calif.–The Hells Angels filed suit in Los Angeles against fashion house Alexander McQueen and two retailers, alleging federal trademark infringement for marketing clothing and accessories using the bikers’ winged death-head logo, according to court papers.
In the complaint, filed Monday in Los Angeles federal court, the motorcycle club says it never approved use of its name and trademarked horned death skull by McQueen’s company or retailers Saks and Zappos Inc.
The companies have sold “substantial quantities” of products deploying the club’s trademarked logo in California and through the Internet, according to the suit.
The biker group further alleges that the actions of the defendants were “intentional” and have caused “irreparable harm for which money damages and other remedies are inadequate.”
A call for comment to a Saks spokeswoman was not immediately returned.
The Hells Angels say they have been using the death-head design, which depicts a winged skull, as its insignia since the late 1940s.
The lawsuit mentions such items as the “Hells Angels Jacquard Box Dress” and the “Hells Angels Pashmina” scarf, which utilize the trademark.
The Alexander McQueen website lists the dress for $1,595 and the scarf at $560.
A McQueen-designed handbag called “Hells Knuckle Duster” is sold through the Zappos website for $2,329, the complaint shows.
In 2006, the Hells Angels filed a similar lawsuit against Walt Disney for use of its name and trademark in the film “Wild Hogs.” The complaint was terminated by the plaintiffs later that year.
