André 3000 Forced To Use Hand-Drawn Sketch For Clothing Collection Due To Trademark Laws

André 3000 dropped a hand-drawn sketch of an ant reading a book to Instagram, which left a lot of curious fans.

Andre 3000‘s Instagram page remains bare, save for a lone hand-drawn sketch of an ant reading book, which the OutKast rapper only shared on Tuesday February 24. Fans were intrigued to find out why, seeing the rapper’s history of not-posting.

Andre explained that he was about to lose a trademark on this particular sketch if he didn’t do anything with it, so he decided to use the sketch on a few different items that he is currently selling, including t-shirts, hoodies, and posters.

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“This is a sketch I did a while ago and I am told I have to use it now in the market place or it stops being mine,” he explained. “So I’ve made a few things with it. All the shirts are ethically-produced/made from recycled materials. Hope you enjoy. – 3.”

Along with the hand-drawn sketch, he also shared a handwritten note that’s posted to his website, and addressed to his customers. “Sooo … I have this trademark thing that I need to solve for,” Dre wrote. “According to the trademark people, in order to retain control of your trademarks, you have to actively use them. The trademark office also have deadlines and lots of rules to defend your IP. So here are a few things that I hope you enjoy and the good people at the trademark office will enjoy.”

The t-shirt runs for $45, the hoodie is $150, and the 4×6 poster is $25 All scheduled to ship in the 4-6 weeks. You can cop Andre 3000‘s new line using the link in his Instagram bio. Let us know if you will be.

[via]