Turkish chef Nusr-et Gökçe, better known by the name “Salt Bae,” was hit with a $5 million copyright infringement lawsuit after he allegedly used an image of his signature salt-sprinkling pose without permission.
A lawsuit filed in the District Court for the Southern District of New York on April 12 alleges Gökçe illegally printed Brooklyn-based artist William Hick’s artwork on window displays, digital signs, menus, takeout bags and on the label for his line of seasonings, NY Post reported.
Hicks says he and fellow artist Joseph Lurato were hired by Gökçe in September 2017 to make a mural of the Turkish restaurateur, according to court documents.
Hicks learned in early 2020 that the social media star was using his commissioned stencil murals around the world despite not having a license to do so.
“Defendants were engaging in widespread, unauthorized distribution and use of the original works in, among other places, Nusr-et’s steakhouses and Saltbae Burger restaurants in New York, Dubai and Istanbul,” the suit charges.
“Defendants also unilaterally decided that they would instead unlawfully adapt, create, and distribute unauthorized derivative versions of the original works … to display in Nusr-et steakhouse locations in at least Abu Dhabi, Ankara, Etiler, Mykonos, and Bodrum Yalikavak Marina,” the court documents claim.
“Salt Bae” rose to fame in 2017 after a video of his smooth technique for preparing and seasoning meat went viral.
The chef since opened a luxury chain of steak houses worldwide called Nusr-et.
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