Rihanna’s uncle was busted for selling knock-offs of the singer’s Puma line in Barbados.
Leroy Fitzgerald Brathwaite, 53, was charged under the Fair Trading Commission’s Consumer Protection Act, according to the Barbados newspaper Nation News. The knock-offs were first noticed by Rihanna during a trip back to Barbados. She later reported it to her Puma rep who traveled to the country to file a police report.
Leroy pleaded not guilty in court to the charges that go as far back as May. Another charge listed in the initial report states that Brathwaite aimed to gain for himself with intent to cause loss to another without the consent of the registered owner of the trademark. He sold goods with the Puma sign that could possibly be mistaken for actual product manufactured and designed by the company. His attorneys claimed foul play on the part of the FTC and stated that the organization never issued a warning to Brathwaite before the charges were pressed.
“My client has never been contacted by the Fair Trading Commission and has never been served with a warning in accordance with the act,” said his attorney Sian Lange. Rihanna has yet to comment publicly on the matter.
Source: themaven.net
