News of December 13, 1996
Afeni Shakur Sues Death Row Over Tupac Merchandise
An order form in the 'All Eyez on Me' booklet and unlicensed shirts: In December 1996, Tupac's mother took his label to court for the first time.
On December 13, 1996, Afeni Shakur and New York attorney Richard Fischbein, co-administrators of Tupac’s estate, filed a fraud lawsuit in federal court in Los Angeles. The defendants were Death Row Records, Death Row attorney David Kenner, and two companies that manufactured and sold caps, T-shirts, and sweatshirts bearing Tupac’s face. Tupac was allegedly defrauded of an estimated 1 million dollars.
An Order Form in the Booklet
One detail was at the center: according to the lawsuit, an advertisement with an order form for the unauthorized items was included in All Eyez on Me. Kenner called the allegations baseless.
The court quickly ruled in Afeni Shakur’s favor. On December 20, Federal Judge William Matthew Byrne issued a preliminary injunction, followed by a permanent one in January 1997: Death Row and the two companies were no longer allowed to sell anything featuring Tupac’s name or likeness and had to deposit 18 percent of the proceeds from the final quarter of 1996 with the court. MTV reported on this shortly before Christmas: Afeni Shakur Sues: Death Row Stops Tupac Merchandise.