Black Beverly Hills Apparel Brand Being Sued By Hotel

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BLACK BEVERLY HILLS APPAREL BRAND IS BEING SUED BY THE BEVERLY HILLS HOTEL

Los Angeles, CA  -- Black Beverly Hills is no stranger to lawsuits in the city of Beverly Hills. The first lawsuit was filed by the City of Beverly Hills where Robert China Berry Jr. had to defend his company from the city. The City wanted to shut him down based on the name of his company as well as an alleged case of trademark infringement. Black Beverly Hills settled the case by only having to tweak its logo to stay in business.

Now, The Beverly Hills Hotel is suing Mr. Berry and Black Beverly Hills for alleged trademark infringement. Mr. Berry feels this is a pattern and that he is being singled out because of the name of his business and what it represents to the urban community in Los Angeles. "The reason for our design was to pay homage to the famous black architect Paul Revere Williams who designed the Polo Lounge, Crescent Wing, and the hotel's signage. It is not our intent to infringe," Berry said.

The Beverly Hills Hotel is operated by the Dorchester Group and is owned by Brunei Investment Agency (BIA), an arm of the Ministry of Finance of Brunei. The Dorchester group has been protested for more than three years because the oil-rich sultan said he would introduce Shariah law in Brunei with penalties, including death, for homosexuality. The Sultan, one Hassanal Bolkiah, oversees the small but vastly wealthy country of Brunei, where Sharia law has been implemented. As Wehoville points out, this would allow the country of Brunei to sentence gay and lesbian people to be stoned to death, among other atrocities - with occasional protests that include actors and activists as diverse as Jay Leno, Ellen DeGeneres, Richard Branson, and John Legend.