Justin Bieber sent cease-and-desist letter by French dance duo Justice for alleged trademark infringement

Canadian singer-songwriter has just released his sixth studio album

French dance music duo Justice have accused Justin Bieber on infringing on their trademark in a cease-and-desist letter sent to the Canadian popstar.

Bieber’s latest album, also called Justice, was released today (19 March) to positive reviews.

The alleged trademark infringement pertains to the cover of Bieber’s album, which features a letter “T” designed to resemble a crucifix. This “mark” had been trademarked by the Band (in 2008 in France, and in the EU in 2014).

An article in Rolling Stone magazine included extracts of the letter reportedly sent to Bieber by Justice’s legal team.

“Your use of the Mark is illegal,” they wrote. “You have not received permission from Justice to utilise the Mark. 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 letter instructs the “Baby” singer to cease using the design, and threatens “immediate legal action and damages including, but not limited to, punitive and injustice relief”.

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According to claims made by Bieber’s management team, however, the design does not infringe upon the French artist’s trademark.

Justice claim that Bieber’s representatives had sent them a message in April of last year, asking for help to “track down” the designer of Justice’s logo. They later allegedly stopped communicating with the duo’s representatives.

Justice, comprised of Gaspard Augé and Xavier de Rosnay, have been a noteworthy voice on the French dance music scene for nearly two decades, releasing three studio albums and two live albums.

Their 2018 remix record Woman Worldwide won a Grammy award for Best Dance/Electronic Album back in 2019.