A Toronto-based artist who has been taking a public swing at companies that many perceive to be failing their customers is yet again in hot water over his work this week.
Cristofer Lam, whose Metrolinx spoof merchandise went viral before the transit agency made him switch up his design, has now been asked by Loblaw Companies Ltd. to cease production on a line of garments that takes aim at the grocery giant.
People in Toronto are loving this Metrostinx merch that Metrolinx tried to shut downðŸ¤https://t.co/IqubAXJ3Mn #Metrolinx #Metrostinx — blogTO (@blogTO) January 6, 2024
In the same vein as his "Metrostinx" shirts, mugs and tote bags, Lam's Loblaws-themed motifs use a version of the retailer's logo that is altered to say "Roblaw$," an obvious reference to the store's sky-high prices that consumers have been in uproar about for months.
Unfortunately for the artist and his fans, representatives from Loblaw have approached him regarding the items, saying that the reworked logo is too close to their own.
"In today's episode of 'What major Canadian Corp is coming after me today,' we have Loblaws saying my Roblaws shirt infringes on their intellectual property... unless their slogan is 'Live Life Hungry' and their logo is a gun and grocery basket I'm not so sure it holds up," Lam wrote in community Facebook group Weird Toronto on Wednesday.
"Loblaws sucks and if you want one, you now have to message me directly... anyways, keep dragging shitty corporations screwing the people!"
As of Wednesday, Loblaw was successfully able to get the shirts in question removed from Lam's Etsy platform.
He was, however, able to get around the same issue with Metrolinx in the past by changing the logo yet again, so there may still be hope for those who want to see the Roblaws products continue.
In the meantime, Lam will still sell the stock he has directly, including at local markets like the upcoming Toronto Dark Arts Market in Parkdale on Saturday.
"Everyone has been super supportive of the work... I love seeing them in the wild and that it has made the phrases more popular," he told blogTO of his various designs last month.
He added that he plans to continue creating and selling new items that take incompetent corporations and agencies to task.