Dash Snow’s Estate Suing McDonalds for Copyright Infringement

The estate of the late Dash Snow is suing McDonalds for use of his graffiti tag–SACE. McDonalds appropriated the tag to decorate numerous restaurants in the United States and abroad. The estate’s director, Jade Berreau, alleges in the complaint that McDonalds restaurants are “using Mr. Snow’s artwork as décor in hundreds of McDonald’s restaurants, and are using his name and signature in a manner suggesting that Mr. Snow created all of the surrounding artwork (which adorns the entirety of McDonald’s graffiti-themed restaurants).”

The estate began battling McDonalds in June 2016, when they first asked the chain to take the work down to preserve the artist’s legacy. They are now pursuing damages and injunctive relief citing copyright infringement, trademark infringement, unfair competition, negligence and falsification of “copyright management information” under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.