Chance The Rapper is an independent artist, working outside of the major label system. You know what that means? It means that a large chunk of his income is derived not from six and seven figure record advances, but rather from the money he earns selling out basketball arenas and major festivals. Oh, and merchandise. T-shirts, lanyards, posters, etc. make up a huge slice of his income. With that in mind, Chance and his people are doing all they can to protect themselves legally before their upcoming tour starts, and have filed a suit in court to prevent bootleggers from hoarding in on his name and image.
According to Pitchfork, Chance and his representatives have submitted papers to the Illinois District Court, against presently unnamed parties — “JOHN DOES 1-100, individuals, JANE DOES 1-100, individuals, and XYZ COMPANY” — to preventatively recoup “injunctive and monetary relief.” What that means is, if Chance catches you trying to sell a hat with his trademark number three on the top, or his face on a t-shirt, the odds are very good that you could find yourself having to defend your actions in court. It could cost you big time.
Really though, why would you want to bootleg from Chance? He’s made a tremendous effort putting his own money where his mouth is in his community, donating a million dollars to Chicago Public Schools. Let the man continue his good deeds.
