Beyonce sued by Abercrombie & Fitch over fierce fragrance name

BY Helen Kennedy
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Pop diva Beyonce Knowles and teen clothing giant Abercrombie & Fitch are going to war over who is fiercer.

In a federal suit, the Ohio-based chain of popular mall stores sued Knowles, saying they already own the name of her upcoming scent.

The grammy-winning singer announced this week that she had teamed up with fragrance maker Coty, which launched the celebrity scent craze in 2002 when Jennifer Lopez' Glow racked up $100 million in sales in one year.

Knowles' perfume, named after her onstage alter ego, Sasha Fierce, is supposed to launch next spring.  Her line of clothing, also called Sasha Fierce, just debuted in department stores.

The superstar singer described her new scent as "an alluring and sophisticated fragrance; one that's refelective of my inner power."

Abercrombie said the whole thing stinks.

Within hours of Tuesday's announcement, Abercrombie filed suit in federal court in Columbus, asking a judge to stop Knowles and accusing her of trademark infringement, unfair competition and deceptive trade practices because it already sells a men's cologne called Fierce.

The $40 cologne comes in a bottle featuring the standard Abercrombie and Fitch branding: a ripped male torso. Store employees spritz stacks of clothing with it.

The company said it has sold $190 million worth of Fierce since 2002 and Knowles' perfume plan "poses a likelihood of confusion" for consumers and could cost them sales.

Abercrombie said its attorneys sent Knowles a cease-and-desist letter but she had not backed off.

Knowles, whose 2008 album called "I am ... Sasha Fierce" went platinum, already sells a line of clothing called Dereon that includes earrings and pendants spelling out the word Fierce.

http://www.nydailynews.com/gossip/2009/09/16/2009-09-16_beyonce_sued_by_abercrombie__fitch_over_fierce_fragrance_name.html