Jenn Graziano, VH1 Served Cease-and-Desist Letter

"I love the name of it. It came about because I love color.
Color changes your mood." Renee on her "invention"
of the Mob Candy brand, after she posed for this picture.

EXCLUSIVE: Both VH1 and Jennifer Graziano today received cease-and-desist letters from an attorney regarding Renee Graziano's continued use of the Mob Candy name on items for which she does not have the rights, according to a source close to the case who sent us a copy of the two letters.

Noting that Renee had ignored previous letters sent to her, the copyright holders' law firm is putting both the "Mob Wives" network and Jennifer Graziano herself on notice that the firm has been "instructed to begin legal action against you if you allow these infringements to continue."




The firm alleges that VHI and Jennifer Graziano have been "assisting the unauthorized use of this protected trademark and copyrighted name by allowing [Renee] Graziano [to] use your program ‘Mob Wives’ to offer merchandise for sale under this name and by using the name MOBCANDY in the name for her website."

Here is a scanned image of the letter, the same version of which was sent today, January 12, to Jennifer Graziano.



As reported over a year ago, Heath Norman Wasserman holds the copyright for the brand Mobcandy ("Mob Candy" also is covered as part of the trademark) in all but one of the product categories in which Renee Graziano has launched lines under the same brand name.

Wasserman and Frank DiMatteo, owner/publisher of Mob Candy magazine, are partners. At the time of our previous report, DiMatteo had said that two cease-and-desist letters had been sent to Renee Graziano regarding her use of the Mob Candy brand.
Mandatory pic of Natalie Guercio, which we
post in many Mob Wives stories. Just
because we love her...

Wasserman also has dibs on the Mob Candy name in many product categories in addition to the categories in which Renee has launched products -- except for jewelry, which Graziano has properly copyrighted, DiMatteo said.

Wasserman, who is in the vending machine business in Chicago, is planning on extending the Mob Candy brand into additional product categories as well, DiMatteo said, including adult videos.

Wasserman owns the actual copyright -- serial number 85681509.

According to Justia Trademarks, Wasserman has big plans for the brand above and beyond products.

The brand Mobcandy (Mob Candy is listed as well, as a "pseudo mark") includes: "Administration of a discount program for enabling participants to obtain discounts on goods and services through use of a discount membership card; Advertising, marketing, and promoting the goods and services of others via promotion exhibits, video products, Internet, excluding jewelry; Arranging and conducting auctions in the field of promotional events, excluding jewelry; Computerized on-line retail store services in the field of video products, clothing, health and beauty products, all excluding jewelry; Electronic catalog services featuring retail products featuring a wide variety of consumer goods of others, clothing, video products, excluding jewelry; On-line retail store services featuring a wide variety of consumer goods of others, exclusive of jewelry."

Said DiMatteo: "Nobody else can do a magazine."

Renee formally introduced her Mob Candy (by Renee Graziano) on the season four premier episode of the "reality" show "Mob Wives." She had been talking up and promoting the brand for about a year previous to then. Her Mob Candy assortment includes a a lot of products: Mob Candy Jewelry, Mob Candy Apparel , Mob Candy Shoes, and accessories and t-shirts.

Mob Candy magazine was in fact launched in 2007 by others with no ties to her then or now. Prior to the publication, the brand had originally been used for a line of Mafia-inspired clothing. Before even that, there was a company called Mob Candy that sold, well, candy...

Renee, in an interview in which she announced the new endeavor, said she was launching Mob Candy-branded jewelry, shoes and makeup. In addition, Renee actually claimed to have created the brand -- after she had appeared on the very cover of Mob Candy Magazine in 2011. She also included photos from the magazine shoot on her very own website, which have since been removed.

"I love my Mob Candy," Renee said in an interview posted on Celebrity Parents Magazine's website. [The story was removed.]

In that now-deleted interview, Renee was quoted saying of Mob Candy:

"I love the name of it. It came about because I love color. Color changes your mood. And candy makes you feel better. And we can’t forget the mob part. So I put it all together. One day, I was sitting on the couch pigging out, eating M&M’s. I was thinking, “I’m fuckin’ getting fat,” and then I put the two words together. Mob Candy is a fun line; it’s shoes and jewelry and body lotions. It’s everything a mob princess would wear, without the cost."

Renee created her Mob Candy "invention" story because she appeared on the cover of Mob Candy previously.

As noted on the Mob Candy magazine blog: “Not only is she just using the brand name pretending she never heard of it before, she has also done interviews claiming the root of her Mob Candy name idea came into her head randomly after thinking about how she loves colors, and candy has different colors. And of course, she couldn’t forget to add the mob to it, right? That’s how she got the idea!”

It seems a rift occurred between Renee and the magazine when VH1, according to the Mob Candy blog, pressured the magazine to shoot Karen Gravano for the cover instead of Renee Graziano, offering to film the photo shoot and run it during an episode of "Mob Wives," which is what happened. In fact, Mob Candy did four covers of the magazine that month, which may be Renee's motive; this is speculation, however.
On the season four premier of the show, the brand was mentioned first by Natalie Guercio, then one of the new Mob Wives from Philadelphia. Renee ostensibly hired her -- thus giving a reason to bring her on the show -- to be the "face" of Mob Candy.



Were they planning to throw Natalie Guercio under the bus all the way back then?

Comments

  1. Like father like daughter drug addicts and scammers typical Graz Clan lol philly

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  2. Susan DeSantis FerrittoJan 12, 2015, 9:27:00 PM

    I'll bet you could legally add...Graziano'sMobCandy.....and that would solve your problems.

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  3. Don.t see anything about her looking like Mob Candy knowing it.s just a name for accessores' she be more like chewimg tobacco where u spit it ou

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  4. They're going to get crushed.

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  5. Frankie D is a great guy...and a serious one...

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  6. Did he play the restaurant owner in Goodfellas?

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  7. I can't wait for this. I think I have seen almost every mob/mafia related documentary under the sun, so it's always great to see something new. Sure everyone who frequents this site could tell you Charlie Lucky's, Meyer's and Ben Siegel's story by heart, but it's always great to see something that is fresh and new.

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  8. NUTELLA ! NUTELLA!!!! I want my Nutella!!!

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  9. Funny how there's not any comments about that fat Bag of shi* ReneeGraziano. Nobody really cares about her. LOL What a waste of life.

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  10. I'm curious to see what their reply will be.

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  11. I'd like to see the letter.

    ReplyDelete
  12. I enjoy all mafia history

    ReplyDelete

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