Temu wants to dismiss a lawsuit over counterfeit MF Doom merchandise brought by the late hip-hop legend’s estate, arguing in a new court filing that it’s not responsible for the actions of independent Chinese sellers who use the e-commerce site.

Gas Drawls LLC, which manages the estate of MF Doom (Daniel Dumile), filed suit in August, accusing Temu of selling dozens of knock-off t-shirts, hats, posters and other merchandise displaying the deceased rapper’s name and signature mask. Temu’s attorneys have now responded with a court filing that calls the case legally defective.

“Gas Drawls’ complaint suffers from a fundamental problem: it fails to plead any plausible facts supporting its conclusory allegation that Temu — rather than independent third-party sellers — made, sold and shipped the allegedly infringing products,” write Temu’s lawyers from the firm Knobbe Martens in the Thursday (Oct. 16) filing.

Temu’s attorneys say the company’s business model clearly leaves the selling of products to independent third parties in China. They argue that Temu is just the intermediary — and that under intellectual property law, a platform can’t be held directly liable for infringement by third-party users.

Another problem with the lawsuit, argues Temu, is that the MF Doom estate is trying to claim ownership of the deceased rapper’s likeness. But Temu says post-mortem rights of publicity do not exist in the United Kingdom, where MF Doom died in 2020.

Temu maintains that it “takes intellectual property rights seriously” and has a robust system for users to report infringement on the site. According to the motion, MF Doom’s estate never availed itself of these procedures before resorting to litigation.

“Nonetheless, upon receiving the draft, Temu promptly investigated the matter,” write Temu’s lawyers. “Acting out of an abundance of caution and in accordance with its IP policies — not as an admission of merit to Gas Drawls’ claims — Temu removed every listing that it could identify from the poor-quality screenshots provided.”

Temu is asking a judge to dismiss all of the MF Doom estate’s claims outright. And if the lawsuit moves forward, the company wants, at the very least, to remove the estate’s “irrelevant and inflammatory” allegations that accuse it of “unethical” and “horrific” business practices.

The MF Doom estate declined to comment on the motion. But its attorney, Jeff Gluck, pointed out to Billboard that some infringing merchandise is still available on Temu despite the company’s claims to the contrary.

Gluck is also representing Twenty One Pilots in another lawsuit against Temu. Brought just days before the musical duo debuted their new album Breach atop the Billboard 200 last month, that case similarly alleged that Temu is flooding the market with cheap knockoff merch.

Brooklyn Mirage — the 32,000-square-foot open-air nightclub that has helped define Brooklyn’s nightlife since 2017 — is set to be torn down, according to new filings with New York City’s Department of Buildings.

Public records show that Avant Gardner LLC, the company behind the venue complex, submitted a permit application on Tuesday (Oct. 14) seeking approval to demolish the Mirage. The two other venues at the Avant Gardner complex, Kings Hall and the Great Hall, are set to remain open through December.

The filing lists a $1.5 million budget for the demolition project and names H&O Engineering as the contractor. It remains unclear when demolition will begin, but filings indicate the project will be a straightforward teardown.

Opened in 2017, the Mirage quickly became one of the most coveted venues for touring DJs and electronic acts, earning recognition from DJ Mag and being named “Best Venue” by EDM.com in 2024 for its innovative design and large-scale production.

Behind the scenes, however, Avant Gardner faced mounting challenges. The company became embroiled in multiple lawsuits alleging overly aggressive security practices and clashed with the New York State Liquor Authority. The situation worsened in 2023 when Avant Gardner’s production of the Electric Zoo festival collapsed amid permitting issues and overcrowding, forcing the cancellation of one of the festival’s three days.

The fallout from Electric Zoo, including multiple lawsuits filed by fans, triggered an ownership reshuffle. Axar Capital, one of Avant Gardner’s senior creditors, took a leading role in the company, while hospitality veteran Josh Wyatt was brought in as CEO. Wyatt closed Avant Gardner last November to begin an ambitious renovation of the 80,000-square-foot complex, including an expanded dance floor designed to be the largest in New York City.

At its peak, the Brooklyn Mirage stood 65 feet high and featured a 30K-resolution wraparound LED wall, 100 L-Acoustics loudspeakers and a kinetic shutter system. The remodeled venue was slated to reopen May 1, 2025, with a two-night run by techno artist Sara Landry.

But the reopening never happened, as the project became mired in permitting issues with the city’s Department of Buildings. As an open-air venue that typically operates only in warmer months, Brooklyn Mirage functioned under a Temporary Place of Assembly Certificate of Occupancy that had to be renewed annually. Wyatt’s 2025 redesign included a prefabricated wooden structure standing 65 feet high and nearly 200 feet long — a scale that ultimately complicated the city’s permitting process.

When the Department of Buildings declined to issue the necessary permits, the venue posted a message to Instagram asking fans for patience.

“We want to be clear: the venue is show-ready and the New Mirage has been built to exacting safety, structural, mechanical, and technical specifications,” the since-deleted post read. “However, we were not able to meet the final inspection deadline today.”

On May 22, Wyatt stepped down as CEO and was replaced by veteran music executive and touring artist Gary Richards. Three months later, in August, Avant Gardner filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Bankruptcy records show that the company owes about $194 million to creditors, with about $900,000 in cash in the bank.