Notorious B.I.G.’s mother was deeply offended. His estate’s attorney sent the sisters a cease and desist letter with a deadline to stop selling the shirts or face a lawsuit. The Jenners quickly complied and took the shirts out of their store.
The lesson for the sisters here and for anyone else, is that just because a person has passed away, you cannot use his or her likeness in your own commercial enterprises without permission. This is because the estate of the deceased holds the rights to that likeness.
