The estate of the late rapper MF Doom has reached a settlement in principle with Temu, resolving a lawsuit that accused the online marketplace of selling counterfeit merchandise bearing the rapper’s name and likeness.
The agreement was disclosed in a notice of settlement filed jointly by the two sides on Thursday (June 18) in the US District Court for the Central District of California.
The notice, obtained by MBW, can be read in full here.
The plaintiff, Gas Drawls, LLC, owns the rights to MF Doom‘s music and intellectual property.
The defendant, Whaleco, Inc., operates the Temu marketplace.
The two sides reached the settlement after a conference with retired US District Judge Andrew J. Guilford, the filing states.
Gas Drawls and Whaleco “have reached a settlement in principle to resolve all claims related to the action,” the notice reads.
They anticipate being “in a position to dismiss this case in full within 45 days,” it adds.
Gas Drawls sued Whaleco, which does business as Temu, in August 2025, as MBW reported.
The complaint accused the retailer of marketing and selling counterfeit products that copied trademarks tied to MF Doom, including the rapper’s name and the mask he wore during performances.
Temu is “widely understood to be one of the most unethical companies operating in today’s global marketplace,” the complaint stated.
“Instead of policing its products to guard against infringement, it chooses to profit from sales of such products, in disregard of artist and brand rights,” Gas Drawls added in the filing.
The suit sought a permanent injunction, the recall and removal of the products, the disgorgement of Temu‘s proceeds, and punitive damages “in an amount sufficient to deter Temu from their wrongful conduct.”
The case was one of a series of lawsuits brought against Temu by musicians over merchandise sold on its platform.
In a separate suit filed in September 2025, the band Twenty One Pilots accused Temu of selling “blatant copies” of its merchandise.
That case was brought by a legal team that included Jeff Gluck, one of the lawyers behind the MF Doom suit.
Whaleco had contested the Gas Drawls case, moving to dismiss the complaint in October 2025, court records show.
The settlement notice was filed with a number of motions still pending before Judge Stanley Blumenfeld Jr. and Magistrate Judge Brianna Fuller Mircheff.
MF Doom was the stage name of Daniel Dumile, who died in 2020 at the age of 49.
Dumile co-founded Gas Drawls in 2011 with his wife and business partner, Jasmine Dumile Thompson, to act as the official marketplace for MF Doom merchandise.
The company takes its name from a track on MF Doom‘s 1999 debut album, Operation: Doomsday.
Neither Gas Drawls nor Whaleco has disclosed the financial terms of the settlement.
When the suit was filed, a Temu spokesperson told MBW the company “respects the intellectual property rights of others and takes all infringement claims seriously.”
“While we uphold this commitment, we will vigorously defend ourselves against unfounded allegations,” the Temu spokesperson added.
MBW has reached out to Whaleco and counsel for Gas Drawls for comment on the settlement.Music Business Worldwide
