Kim Kardashian receives legal warning over SKKN beauty brand trademark

Kim Kardashian has been hit with a cease-and-desist letter over the assumed name of her new beauty brand SKKN.

The reality TV star announced in early July that she was shutting down KKW Beauty, the venture she launched in 2017, on 1 August and would be coming back with a brand-new brand.

Days later, it was reported that she had applied to trademark "SKKN" for use on haircare, cosmetics, skincare, and nailcare products, leading many to believe it would be the name of her brand.

However, Kardashian's trademark plans have now hit a snag. According to TMZ.com, lawyers for Beauty Concepts LLC have sent a cease-and-desist letter to her legal team, claiming that it has provided salon and skincare services under its SKKN+ brand name, owned by Cydnie Lunsford, since July 2017.

In the legal warning, obtained by the publication, Beauty Concepts' lawyers insist the star has ripped off the company's name. They state that Lunsford has invested time, money and effort to create and promote SKKN+'s services over the years, and Kardashian's use of a similar name would cause confusion in the marketplace.

In addition, Beauty Concepts officials filed a trademark application for the SKKN+ logo in March, and operates a website and social media handles that are very similar to Kardashian's.

Responding to the letter, Kardashian's attorney, Michael G. Rhodes, told TMZ: "We certainly appreciate and support small businesses, and our hat is off to Ms. Lunsford. But the question at hand is one of trademark law and we’ve not done anything deserving of legal action by her.

"We are disappointed that she has chosen to run to the media knowing that we were scheduling a call for tomorrow, requested by her attorney. So while disagreeing with the letter, we’re hopeful that we can smooth things over once both sides speak.”

Kardashian, who also runs the shapewear label SKIMS, has yet to confirm her beauty brand will be called SKKN.