A Minnesota company is suing rapper Future over copyrighted Limo-Jet trademark used in a music video.
MIK Corporation is seeking unspecified damages — plus interest on all sums paid by plaintiffs to rent the Limo-Jet — from Future, Egyptian entertainer Mohammed, Ramadan, and Lebanese-Canadian singer Sari Abboud for the unauthorized use of the Limo-Jet in the music video for the song "Arabi."
The video, posted on YouTube in February 2024, had received 53 million views at that point.
MIK Corporation, the owner of the Limo-Jet trademark, alleges in court documents obtained by AllHipHop that the artists filmed the vehicle without permission and in violation of earlier contracts banning the use of the car in their media projects.
MIK rents a Limo-Jet, which is something of a one-off: this luxury limousine is made by repurposing a jet fuselage.
This dispute traces back to April 2023, when Ramadan and his team first reached out to MIK about possibly using the Limo-Jet for California and Dubai shows.
MIK says the artists retained rights, forbidding either the release of any images or video of the Limo-Jet without their prior written approval during this visit to its Des Plaines, Illinois, storage space and also not causing any damage to it.
During this visit, however, MIK claimed the truck's custom paint job was damaged by the vehicle.
The company claims it had no idea the "Arabi" music video — which features several scenes with the Limo-Jet — would ever come out.
The lawsuit against MIK involves allegations of breach of contract, negligence, fraud, and misappropriation.
It wants money for the negative publicity from the unauthorized commercial Limo-Jet and asserts that the tank-protected vehicle has suffered damage.
UMG, a co-defendant with Netflix in the lawsuit, has already filed a motion to dismiss, arguing that it was not subject to personal jurisdiction in Illinois.
The court held that the nexus between UMG and the remaining defendants is too tenuous for the maintenance of jurisdiction over UMG, but the court has given MIK a chance to bolster its allegations against UMG by December 15.
Wilburn Holding Co., which is associated with Future, remains part of the case, while MIK faces a service question as to the other defendants.
Still, any claims having to do with the Limo-Jet will be directed at Future and his company.
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