Chair Girl Sent A Cease And Desist Letter To The Company That Made Her Into A Trading Card
Representatives for Marcella Zoia — otherwise known as Chair Girl — are allegedly threatening legal action against the company behind the Infamous 6ix trading cards that have been popping up around Toronto.
Tim Matheson, the creator of the cards, told Narcity that a legal representative for Zoia wrote him a cease and desist letter which said that Zoia did not give permission for her likeness to be used and sold on the trading card.
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It feels pretty slapped together. But, you know, good attempt.
Tim Matheson
Matheson told Narcity in a phone interview that he didn't get Zoia's permission before releasing the Chair Girl card, but he did consult with copyright lawyers who told him there was a low risk of successfully being sued.
He never mentioned Zoia by name in the original card, his company made their own original artwork that wasn't based on any existing photo, and there was nothing defamatory on the card, Matheson claimed.
The letter from Zoia's representatives, which Matheson sent Narcity in an email, gave Matheson 15 days to pull the card, which he told Narcity he hasn't done and isn't currently considering.
Instead, Matheson made a new card featuring Poop Guy, another notable Toronto figure, depicted in the illustration pouring a bucket full of an unknown substance on top of Chair Girl.
There are 500 of those gold-foil cards — a limited run — available for sale now.
"This stunning card commemorates our first cease and desist order," reads the product description on the Infamous 6ix website.
Speaking to Narcity on the phone, Reza A. — Zoia's representative — said his team would be taking the issue to court after the holidays.*
"It's really good marketing," Reza A. said, "but at the end of the day there's right ways to do business and there's wrong ways to do business, and I really do feel like they went down the wrong street with this one."*
"They don't really have much of a case against me and they're just trying to stir some sh*t. And I guess if that's the case I've fallen into their trap," Matheson claimed.
"But I was a willing participant in that trap."
*This article has been updated.