The estate of the late rapper MF Doom has reached a settlement in principle with Temu, resolving a lawsuit that accused the online marketplace of selling counterfeit merchandise bearing the rapper’s name and likeness.
The agreement was disclosed in a notice of settlement filed jointly by the two sides on Thursday (June 18) in the US District Court for the Central District of California.
The notice, obtained by MBW, can be read in full here.
The plaintiff, Gas Drawls, LLC, owns the rights to MF Doom‘s music and intellectual property.
The defendant, Whaleco, Inc., operates the Temu marketplace.
The two sides reached the settlement after a conference with retired US District Judge Andrew J. Guilford, the filing states.
Gas Drawls and Whaleco “have reached a settlement in principle to resolve all claims related to the action,” the notice reads.
They anticipate being “in a position to dismiss this case in full within 45 days,” it adds.
Gas Drawls sued Whaleco, which does business as Temu, in August 2025, as MBW reported.
The complaint accused the retailer of marketing and selling counterfeit products that copied trademarks tied to MF Doom, including the rapper’s name and the mask he wore during performances.
Temu is “widely understood to be one of the most unethical companies operating in today’s global marketplace,” the complaint stated.
“Instead of policing its products to guard against infringement, it chooses to profit from sales of such products, in disregard of artist and brand rights,” Gas Drawls added in the filing.
The suit sought a permanent injunction, the recall and removal of the products, the disgorgement of Temu‘s proceeds, and punitive damages “in an amount sufficient to deter Temu from their wrongful conduct.”
The case was one of a series of lawsuits brought against Temu by musicians over merchandise sold on its platform.
In a separate suit filed in September 2025, the band Twenty One Pilots accused Temu of selling “blatant copies” of its merchandise.
That case was brought by a legal team that included Jeff Gluck, one of the lawyers behind the MF Doom suit.
Whaleco had contested the Gas Drawls case, moving to dismiss the complaint in October 2025, court records show.
The settlement notice was filed with a number of motions still pending before Judge Stanley Blumenfeld Jr. and Magistrate Judge Brianna Fuller Mircheff.
MF Doom was the stage name of Daniel Dumile, who died in 2020 at the age of 49.
Dumile co-founded Gas Drawls in 2011 with his wife and business partner, Jasmine Dumile Thompson, to act as the official marketplace for MF Doom merchandise.
The company takes its name from a track on MF Doom‘s 1999 debut album, Operation: Doomsday.
Neither Gas Drawls nor Whaleco has disclosed the financial terms of the settlement.
When the suit was filed, a Temu spokesperson told MBW the company “respects the intellectual property rights of others and takes all infringement claims seriously.”
“While we uphold this commitment, we will vigorously defend ourselves against unfounded allegations,” the Temu spokesperson added.
MBW has reached out to Whaleco and counsel for Gas Drawls for comment on the settlement.Music Business Worldwide
The estate of the late rapper MF Doom has successfully reached a settlement with Temu, an online marketplace, following a lawsuit that accused Temu of selling counterfeit merchandise featuring MF Doom’s name and likeness. This settlement was disclosed in a notice filed jointly by both parties in the US District Court for the Central District of California on June 18, 2025. The plaintiff, Gas Drawls, LLC, holds the rights to MF Doom’s music and intellectual property, while the defendant, Whaleco, Inc., operates the Temu platform.
The settlement was reached after a conference led by retired US District Judge Andrew J. Guilford. The notice stated that both parties had come to an agreement to resolve all claims related to the lawsuit, with plans to dismiss the case entirely within 45 days. Gas Drawls initially filed the lawsuit against Whaleco in August 2025, claiming that Temu was marketing and selling counterfeit products that infringed on MF Doom’s trademarks. These included not only the rapper’s name but also the iconic mask he wore during his performances.
The complaint described Temu as “widely understood to be one of the most unethical companies operating in today’s global marketplace,” alleging that rather than monitoring its products for potential infringements, Temu was profiting from the sale of counterfeit goods, disregarding the rights of artists and brands. The lawsuit sought several remedies, including a permanent injunction to stop the sale of the counterfeit products, the recall and removal of these items, the disgorgement of profits made from infringing sales, and punitive damages intended to deter future wrongful conduct by Temu.
This lawsuit against Temu was part of a broader trend, as several musicians have taken legal action against the platform for similar grievances. For instance, the band Twenty One Pilots filed a separate lawsuit in September 2025, claiming that Temu was selling « blatant copies » of their merchandise. Notably, the legal team representing Twenty One Pilots included Jeff Gluck, one of the attorneys involved in the MF Doom case.
Whaleco initially contested the claims made by Gas Drawls, filing a motion to dismiss the complaint in October 2025. However, the recent settlement indicates a resolution to the dispute, although motions related to the case were still pending before Judge Stanley Blumenfeld Jr. and Magistrate Judge Brianna Fuller Mircheff at the time of the settlement notice.
MF Doom, whose real name was Daniel Dumile, passed away in 2020 at the age of 49. He co-founded Gas Drawls in 2011 with his wife and business partner, Jasmine Dumile Thompson, to serve as the official marketplace for MF Doom merchandise. The company’s name is derived from a track on MF Doom’s debut album, « Operation: Doomsday, » released in 1999.
As of now, both parties have not disclosed the financial terms of the settlement. When the lawsuit was first filed, a spokesperson for Temu emphasized the company’s respect for intellectual property rights and stated that they take infringement claims seriously. The spokesperson also mentioned that Temu would vigorously defend against what they considered unfounded allegations.
The resolution of this lawsuit marks a significant moment for the estate of MF Doom and highlights ongoing challenges that artists face in protecting their intellectual property rights in an increasingly digital marketplace. As the music industry continues to navigate issues of copyright and trademark infringement, cases like this may set precedents for how online platforms manage and respond to claims of counterfeit merchandise.
Overall, this settlement demonstrates the complexities of intellectual property rights in the digital age and the importance of protecting the legacies of artists like MF Doom, whose influence continues to resonate in the music community. The agreement serves as a reminder of the ongoing struggle artists encounter in safeguarding their work against unauthorized use and exploitation in the marketplace.
