Kobe’s Merch Madness

There’s a Kobe Bryant problem with, of all things, a vendor where the Los Angeles Lakers star plays his home games.

A kiosk inside the Staples Center in Los Angeles called “The Art of the Game” not only allegedly violates Panini America’s exclusive licensing rights to Kobe Bryant, but it’s even selling posters with forged Bryant signatures.

A federal lawsuit has been filed by the sports trading card company against The Art of the Game and, according to TMZ, centers upon a poster featuring Bryant and L.A. Clippers star Blake Griffin, and sporting allegedly forged signatures of both.

Panini wants the kiosk shut down and unspecified damages, according to TMZ.

“The gallery we have in Staples has been selling art signed by Kobe with Kobe’s image for a decade,” a lawyer for The Art of the Game told TMZ. “Virtually every night Kobe’s agent or marketing team passed by the gallery and never once has someone had an issue with the art.”