Kanye West could soon own the rights to the “White Lives Matter” phrase if he’s willing to open up his checkbook and pay up.
In October, West sparked outrage over his “White Lives Matter” designs, which were revealed during the YZY Season 9 fashion show.
Since then, the phrase has been gifted to Black activists, Ramses Ja and Quinton Ward, in the form of a trademark from an anonymous donor, Complex reports.
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The Price Tag
Now, the pair, who also happen to be the hosts of the radio show, Civic Cypher, has revealed that while they aren’t actively seeking a buyer for the trademark, they would consider it… if the price is right.
“Any potential buyer would have to come with a $1 billion offer to even make them consider selling,” said TMZ after speaking with both Ja and Ward.
Ownership Rights
During an interview with ABC News, Ja and Ward revealed that because they own the phrase, no one in America can legally sell “White Lives Matter” products without first receiving their authorization. In fact, if anyone were to try to capitalize off of the words without permission from the pair, they could face a lawsuit.
Trademark Ins and Outs
“I recognize that one of two things could happen. Someone could come to our lawyer or us and say, ‘Hey, you have the exclusive right to make and sell those clothes in the United States of America. I would like to buy the trademark for millions of dollars,’” said Ja.
He added, “If we were to sell that trademark, for whatever amount of money, we could donate that money to causes that we feel would benefit Black people, like the NAACP or Black Lives Matter organizations. Because, realistically, we cannot stop the shirts from being made right now. We can write cease and desist to people selling these shirts right now, but that is a big monster that requires teams of lawyers and thousands of dollars that we do not have.”
