Nirvana are suing Marc Jacobs for stealing their iconic smiley face design, TMZ reports. The clothing brand's recently launched Bootleg Redux Grunge collection, which contains items that the designer originally showed for Perry Ellis in 1993, includes socks, shirts, and sweaters featuring a squiggly smiley face similar to the band's design.
Although the exact origin of the Nirvana smiley face design is unclear, it was reportedly drawn by Kurt Cobain and first appeared in a flyer for the Nevermind release party in 1991; the band has owned the trademark to the design since 1992.
The Marc Jacobs design has an "M" and a "J" for eyes instead of "X"s and reads "HEAVEN" instead of "NIRVANA" in a font similar to the band's Onyx font; otherwise, it appears nearly identical. Marc Jabobs has yet to comment on the lawsuit.
Nirvana Sues Marc Jacobs for Stealing Smiley Face Design https://t.co/2ZElDAxQve
— TMZ (@TMZ) December 28, 2018
