Joan Jett is suing Hot Topic, claiming that the existence of the mall-punk retailer’s Blackheart line of clothing infringes on her own Blackheart line of clothing (and, in turn, reminding the world that such a thing exists). The Blackheart Records Group Inc. filed suit against Hot Topic Inc. for trademark infringement, saying the retailer approached it in 2010 about potentially working together. That didn’t pan out, for whatever reason, yet some months later, Hot Topic began selling its own Blackheart line of clothing described as “lingerie for girls who rock & roll,” plus accessories like this belly-button barbell with a dreamcatcher on it. Jett’s owh Blackheart line, in contrast, is a little more tame, with its raciest offering being a T-shirt designed to look like Runaway Cherie Currie’s famous bustier.
Hot Topic—which has 618 North American stores and is valued at over $600 million—insists the only reason it contacted Jett in the first place was to ask if it could use the URL BlackheartLingerie.com. It also says it would have preferred Jett deal with them directly, rather than take the issue directly to court.