The spiritual precepts of copyright have been placated by the noble truth of cash proceeds to end a dispute between a global brand giant and little-known Thai temple.
Three months after a Nakhon Ratchasima temple threatened a lawsuit against streetwear titan Supreme, the temple said they have finally come to terms and will allow the world’s luxury brand to continue using its image of a mystical yant script and famed Thai monk.
Wat Ban Rai property manager Tawatchai Sanprasit said yesterday it has given permission to the New York firm to use the image of its late, spliff-toking abbot Luang Por Khun ringed with magical script after finally receiving a written request to print it on 1,000 shirts. He said that Supreme agreed to donate part of the sales to the temple.
In February, Wat Ban Rai threatened legal action after Supreme surprised the world with a top emblazoned with the image of the abbot, who died in 2015, squatting and smoking. Tawatchai said then they had received no request to use the image of the late monk, which was taken in the early 2000s and sold on printed yant cloth to raise funds for the temple.
Religious officials and the family of the late abbot criticized the skateboard lifestyle brand for pirating a “sacred” item to print on a commercial product.
But now they’ll also get money, so it’s all good.
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