Kim Kardashian West has been slapped with a cease-and-desist letter after trying to trademark SKKN.
Kim Kardashian West
After it was revealed that the 40-year-old businesswoman is bidding farewell to KKW Beauty and overhauling her cosmetics brand, the 'Keeping Up with the Kardashians' star has hit a blip along the way, as she tried to claim ownership of SKKN.
TMZ reports that Beauty Concepts LLC has contacted Kim's lawyers to make them aware that they already have a website and social media pages for SKKN+, a skincare and salon company run by Cyndie Lunsford.
The firm has claimed they had already sent off papers to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to trademark the name and logo and that they have spent a substantial amount on marketing.
In December, the news outlet claimed Kim had landed the domain name SKKN.com and @SKKN social media handles.
However, the SKIMS founder's lawyer, Michael G. Rhodes, has insisted they are well within their rights to use SKKN and they are hoping to "smooth things over" with Lunsford.
He told the site: "We certainly appreciate and support small businesses, and our hat is off to Ms. Lunsford. But the question at hand is one of trademark law and we've not done anything deserving of legal action by her.
"We are disappointed that she has chosen to run to the media knowing that we were scheduling a call for tomorrow, requested by her attorney. So while disagreeing with the letter, we're hopeful that we can smooth things over once both sides speak."
It's not the first time Kim has been met with legal wrangles regarding the names of her brands.
The trainee lawyer was forced to change the name Kimono to SKIMS after she was accused of cultural appropriation.
She said at the time: "My intention wasn't ever to offend anybody. Foolishly and ignorantly, we never thought that it would be a problem."
Kim received a letter from the mayor of Kyoto, Japan, Daisaku Kadokawa, about her mishap and she described him as "very thoughtful" and he "very kindly explained" why.
She added: "He was very thoughtful and very kindly explaining to me the meaning of kimono and why that's so important to their culture. Reading that letter, I felt an understanding.
"I definitely did not want to disrespect a culture. That's not what the brand is even about - it's about inclusivity, it's about comfort, it's not about making people uncomfortable."
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