Rihanna wins T-shirt legal battle with Topshop

Retailer should not panic after Rihanna won a legal battle with Topshop over their use of her photograph on a T-shirt as the ruling does not change the law.

Mike Gardner, a partner at law firm Wedlake Bell LLP, said: "There is no automatic right for celebrities to stop somebody using their image.

"But in this case, Topshop lost as the Court of Appeal found the T-shirt looked like official merchandise when it had not been endorsed."

He added the ruling could prompt other celebrities to now take legal action but warned they may not be successful.

Pop star Rihanna has won a legal battle with high street store Topshop after they published a photo of her face on a T-shirt.

In an important ruling on celebrity "image rights", the Court of Appeal upheld a ban on the store selling a Rihanna tank top without her permission.

Three appeal judges agreed with an earlier High Court ruling that marketing the fashion item without the 26-year-old singer's approval amounts to "passing off", a term used to enforce unregistered trademark rights.

Read more: Rihanna Topshop T-shirt ruling due today