Heidi Panelli sues Kohl's for ripping off her T-shirt design

Image by Heidi Panelli on Flickr

Heidi Panelli says Kohl's definitely does NOT rock

​You'd think a company as big and rich as Kohl's Corp. could be smart enough to come up with original T-shirt designs. Nope, says Heidi Panelli, a Fridley-based graphic designer. She filed a lawsuit Friday in U.S. District Court in Minneapolis accusing Kohl's of ripping off her "I Rock" T-shirt.

Panelli has been selling a cute T-shirt emblazoned with a stick figure playing an electric guitar above the words "I Rock," a design she says she copyrighted as part of her BusyBodies Products line. Kohl's has been selling a similar T-shirt online and in its stores.

On Friday, Panelli sued for copyright and trademark infringement and unfair competition. In her lawsuit, she asked the court to force Kohl's to dump all merchandise similar to her work, according to the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal.

Let us know if you can spot the T-shirt at Kohl's. We looked on the Kohl's web site and can't find it.

Check out Panelli's design, below, and then compare it to the offending Kohl's design, at bottom.

Image from Heidi Panelli's Web site

​And here's the Kohl's version:

Image from Mpls St. Paul Biz Journal

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