Beyonce Sues 'Feyonce' Merch Company Over Copyright Infringement

Beyoncé has sued the Texas company, Feyoncé Inc, for "brazenly" selling merchandise that infringes on her copyrighted name, Reuters reports.

The lawsuit was filed in Manhattan federal court, names the company and three defendants from San Antonio and seeks unspecified damages. The suit claims that Feyoncé has ignored the singer's requests to stop selling their products, and that their items not only confuse consumers but have caused the pop star irreparable harm.

While the Feyoncé site sells a variety of shirts, hoodies, tank tops and other clothing items, the suit singles out a mug stamped with the phrase, "Feyoncé: He put a ring on it." Ostensibly a pun on "fiancé," the lawsuit claims the mug was specifically designed to invoke Beyoncé's 2008 hit, "Single Ladies."

"Defendants adopted the Feyoncé mark to call to mind Beyoncé and her famous song," the lawsuit reads. "Defendants' conduct described herein is intentional, fraudulent, malicious, willful and wanton." The suit also alleges that one defendant, Andre Maurice, tried to trademark "Feyoncé" twice, both with and without the accent over the "e."

The lawsuit comes a year after Beyoncé's lawyers reportedly complained to Etsy about one purveyor hawking "Feyoncé" mugs. While those items were promptly removed from the seller's e-marketplace, other products emblazoned with "Feyoncé" remained widely available.

In early February Beyoncé released her surprise new single, "Formation," ahead of her appearance at the Super Bowl 50 halftime show, hinting at the follow-up to her 2013 self-titled album. After her performance, alongside Coldplay and Bruno Mars, Beyoncé announced the Formation World Tour, which begins April 27th in Miami.