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Travis Scott sued over his Cactus Jack thumbsticks

By Chris Cooke | Published on Thursday 1 October 2020

Gaming accessory company KontrolFreek has sued Travis Scott and his label Cactus Jack accusing them of ripping off its thumbstick products.

Scott’s thumbsticks were so similar to its own, says KontrolFreek, that people assumed the rapper must have a partnership with the firm. To add insult to injury, the company alleges, Scott’s rip off products were really rubbish, which made it even worse that people assumed the gaming firm had made them.

According to PageSix, KontrolFreek’s lawsuit claims that Scott first ripped off its product back in April when he did some virtual gigs within Fortnite. Keen to capitalise on all the gamer love those shows created, the rapper started promoting Cactus Jack branded thumbsticks, which are basically widgets you add to your games console controller for “enhanced grip, increased accuracy and added height”.

However, Scott didn’t actually have any branded thumbsticks to sell. So, it’s alleged, he grabbed photos of KontrolFreek’s product, photoshopped the Cactus Jack logo onto them, and used those images for promo.

When KontrolFreek formally complained about the rip off – and copyright infringement – Cactus Jack, it’s claimed, suggested that the two companies work together. However, says KontrolFreek, it was asked to provide Scott with versions of its product featuring his brand for free.

When the gaming firm declined that offer, it says that Cactus Jack got knock-off products manufactured instead, borrowed KontrolFreek’s slogan and copy for the packaging, and sent out the shoddy gizmos to Scott’s fans.

KontrolFreek wants the court to order Scott to hand over any monies he made from his thumbsticks product plus damages, while also demanding that any unsold Cactus Jack thumbsticks be destroyed.

The rapper and his label are yet to respond.