Drake & 21 Savage Settle Lawsuit Over Fake Vogue Issues
Drake and 21 Savage have officially settled with publisher Condé Nast over their fake Vogue issues for the Her Loss album rollout.
Drake and 21 Savage have settled their legal war with Vogue publisher Condé Nast. Four months after releasing their debut collaborative album, Her Loss, the duo agreed to pay the publication an unspecified amount over fake Vogue issues used to promote their 2022 LP. Last year, Condé Nast sought at least $4 million in damages, citing "widespread belief that the counterfeit issue and counterfeit cover disseminated by Defendants were real."
The issues, which were released for free, were a part of the troll-worthyHer Loss release, which included false appearances on NPR Tiny Desk, Saturday Night Live, COLORSxSTUDIOS and more. In the fake Vogue issue, Drake was seen superimposed in a vintage image of publication editor-in-chief Anna Wintour, along with phony advertisements and articles promoting Her Loss. After the lawsuit was filed towards the end of 2022, a federal judge issued a temporary restraining order to halt all future displays and prints of the magazine, with some images being removed from social media.
With the lawsuit settled on Thursday (February 16), an internal memo from Condé Nast general counsel Will Bowes read that the undisclosed settlement "will bolster our ongoing creative output, including Vogue editorial."
"As a creative company, we of course understand our brands may from time to time be referenced in other creative works," continued Bowes. "In this instance, however, it was clear to us that Drake and 21 Savage leveraged Vogue's reputation for their own commercial purposes and, in the process, confused audiences who trust Vogue as the authoritative voice on fashion and culture."
"As part of our agreement we have been granted a monetary settlement that will bolster our ongoing creative output, including Vogue editorial, as well as a permanent injunction barring further commercial uses of the Vogue trademarks," added Bowes.