From Kanye vs Walmart to Chanel vs Huawei, We've seen plenty of logo disputes over the years, and the latest character seeking justice is, er, Justice. The French electronic music duo has accused teeny-bopper Justin Bieber of stealing its logo – and we can see the similarity.
The title treatment for Bieber's sixth album, Justice, features a large 'T', designed to resemble a cross. The title treatment for Justice the band features a large 'T', designed to resemble a cross (you see where we're going with this). Neither are among the best logos of all time, but they're certainly alike.
Is this the moment Justin realised the logos were so similar? (Image credit: Justin Bieber/Justice/Future owns)
There are some notable differences between the designs. The French duo's logo is rendered in a more decorative, bone-like style, whereas Bieber's is a much sharper, bolder and more jagged affair. But there's no mistaking the key feature of each – that cross-shaped 'T'.
“Obviously, we don’t own the word ‘Justice’ and we don’t own the cross," Justice’s Gaspard Augé told the Guardian this week. "But [Bieber’s] management got in touch first to ask where our logo came from, so it’s not some unhappy coincidence. To me, it’s a very conscious rip-off. And that’s where the problem is.”
According to Rolling Stone, Justice has sent a cease and desist order to Bieber, declaring his use of the logo illegal. The order also claims that his use of the logo is confusing, leading fans to wonder, "Is this a Justice collaboration?"
And as if to prove the confusion, Billboard recently ran a feature on Bieber's album, displaying an image of the cover of, you guessed it, one of Justice's albums. Even Bieber supporters have speculated (below) that the EDM band might just have a point.
NO FUCKING WAY BILLBOARD 😭 pic.twitter.com/n566wHNG3fMarch 21, 2021
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justin bieber knowingly infringed on justice's copyright by ripping off their logo and received an ignored cease and desist. the billboard social media team used a picture of justice's album instead of bieber's, further proving their point that the logos are intentionally similarMarch 22, 2021
Daniel John is Design Editor at Creative Bloq. He reports on the worlds of design, branding and lifestyle tech, and has covered several industry events including Milan Design Week, OFFF Barcelona and Adobe Max in Los Angeles.
