The Tea Party threatens legal action over goods
Devonshire Mall has hit a sour note with Windsor rock band The Tea Party, which is threatening legal action after unauthorized merchandise was sold at the shopping centre.
“I would expect something like this to happen with a fly-by-night organization,” said Liam Killeen, the band’s Toronto-based manager. “But to know it’s a big legitimate company that’s running this and allowing people to come in and sell unauthorized goods, it makes you kind of give your head a shake. To think that the band is rich and will somehow turn their head at this is wrong. It’s wrong an all counts for every artist that you’re selling these things for.”
The kiosk, which doesn’t have a sign, sells “limited edition” celebrity collectibles. There is also merchandise with the likenesses of dozens of other musicians, including another iconic Canadian band, The Tragically Hip.
The Tea Party product was a guitar pick display. Kiosk owner Karen Goss said Thursday it was sold out. But Killeen sent a photo of one to the Star. The display is a photo of The Tea Party with a collection of 10 guitar picks also adorned with pictures of the band members.
The band became aware of the situation when friends told drummer Jeff Burrows, who still lives in Windsor, they saw the merchandise while strolling past a kiosk in the mall. Burrows couldn’t be reached for comment Thursday.
Killeen said he reached out to mall employees including general manager Chris Savard on Wednesday to express concern.
“These were not being sold with our permission. All of these images are either owned by Universal Music or The Tea Party’s corporation,” Killeen said.
Savard said Thursday the mall has addressed the issue with the kiosk owner and The Tea Party merchandise won’t be sold there anymore.
“From the mall’s perspective, we’ve done our part,” he said.
Savard said he wasn’t concerned the kiosk was still in the mall selling similar collectibles for other bands. He also wasn’t worried about whether that merchandise was legally licensed. Savard said it’s not the mall’s job to make sure the merchandise was licensed.
“She’d have to determine from her own suppliers whether they’re licensed or not,” he said.
Goss said she buys her merchandise from China and assumed everything was legitimate.
“I’ve been buying them for like seven or eight years, so I would imagine that everything would be what it should be,” Goss said.
She said she understands the band would be upset.
“I can absolutely understand that and I have to check in with the company and find out because I don’t want to do anything, God forbid, that I shouldn’t be doing,” Goss said.
Killeen said he’d still like to talk to the kiosk owner to sort out the financial impact of the sales, but the mall has refused to put him in touch with her.
While the band does like to get paid, Killeen said most of the profit from merchandise sold here goes to charity.
“We make good money from our authorized merchandise sales from the road when we do tour,” he said.
“But anything that is sold at home within the southern Ontario, Windsor area, usually all of that profit goes to charity.”
Killeen said sales of unauthorized merchandise could hurt the band’s upcoming charity efforts, including an auction.
“Legal action is probably going to follow,” he said.
“It’s not the ’90s. The music money no longer grows on trees. There’s nothing wrong with selling anything with the band’s name on it if it’s done in conjunction with us. We’re reasonable business people and human beings, and would entertain pretty much any reasonable offer.”