Hip-hop’s elite has faced some pretty steep lawsuits within the alcohol sector, including Jay-Z and 50 Cent. Though they aren’t the first two to enter the alcohol sector, they've undoubtedly faced significant headaches due to legal battles. Jay recently reached a settlement with Bacardi over his stake in D’usse, which he reportedly sold for $750M. However, Remy Martin took issue with 50 Cent’s Sire Spirits over the sale of Branson Cognac. Remy accused Sire Sprits of copying their bottle for Branson Cognac.
Remy Martin filed a lawsuit against 50 Cent’s Sire Spirit in 2021 in a Manhattan court. In a filing, they claimed Branson Cognac’s bottle is “indistinguishable” from Remy Martin’s XO cognac. Remy martin went as far as describing the Branson bottle as a “near exact reproduction.” It appears that their argument is based on the circular shape of the bottle. However, Remy stated that they worked diligently to build their legacy through “extensive advertising, promotion, and sales over the past 35 years.”
50 Cent Shuts Down Remy Martin’s Claims
In response to the lawsuit, Attorney Reena Jain defended Branson Cognac’s bottle. Jain claimed that the design is “simply too basic to be locked up by any single company.” Additionally, Jain accused Remy Martin of trying to shove out their competitors from the retail space. “No brand or company has the right to exclude others from making or selling curved bottle for Cognac or other alcohol,” the filing read. “Nonetheless, Remy Martin is on a mission to eliminate Sire Spirits from the Cognac market.”
Leave it to Fif to address legal issues on Instagram. Shortly after the 2021 filing, he made it clear that he didn’t replicate the Remy XO bottle for Branson Cognac. Though he only launched Sire Spirits in 2018, Fif said that he left Remy Martin shaking in its boots. “They are afraid of me already,” he wrote in Instagram Post that has since been removed from his page, per Vibe. “Branson Cognac is the new wave. REMY is #2 Behind Henny and worried about Branson SMH I’m just getting started.” We’ll continue to keep you updated on Remy Martin’s lawsuit against Sire Spirits.