Kanye West Faces a Lawsuit from a Tech Firm for Robbing Trade Secrets

Claiming that West used the copied tech to sell his merchandise

 

Kanye West’s YEEZY empire has faced many allegations of dubious business practices in the past. Now, the business has again been accused of not paying for work and robbing trade secrets. This time, the rapper’s brand is facing a lawsuit by a black-owned tech company.

 

As per reports, a tech company MyChannel that specializes in video and e-commerce tech has claimed that it linked up with Kanye West in 2018 to help boost the revenues for Yeezy merchandise. It offered services to West’s company for six months on the basis of a series of business promises, which included some big promises like an investment of USD 10 (about AUD 13) million from the rapper.

 

According to the lawsuit, MyChannel stuck to their end of the bargain and even put in 10,000 person-hours for Yeezy work. The company even relocated its headquarters not once but twice to make Kanye West happy and invested USD 7 (about AUD 9) million into the project.

The lawsuit also alleges that Kanye West rebranded MyChannel as YZY Tech during business meetings with brands like Adidas and presented ideas of MyChannel as his own. MyChannel broke off the partnership with West after six months when they realized that he wouldn’t hold up to the terms of the agreement. Even after talks with Kanye West fell apart, MyChannel founders noticed that a copied version of their technology was being utilized to sell merchandise in West’s Sunday Service videos, alleges the lawsuit.

 

MyChannel has also accused Kanye West and Yeezy Apparel of breaching the oral partnership agreement and hence preventing the tech company from earning millions while encouraging the company to invest millions, violating MyChannel’s non-disclosure agreement by copying the video e-commerce tech and withholding a USD 10 (about AUD 13) million in investment that was promised. Due to all these reasons, MyChannel wants damages over USD 20 (about AUD 27) million.

 

Though, likely, this lawsuit won’t harm West much, it will surely bring people’s attention to how people with money and power are taking advantage of people who don’t have either. It’s also another bit of negative publicity for the rapper who might still be reeling from the alleged Kanye West’s electoral fraud.