For the past week, content creator and Instagram influencer Jonathan Kubben has been peacefully protesting metres away from the front steps of the Reitmans head office.
Kubben claims to have been cheated by the Canadian retailer after it used the slogan “Mom, I’m fine.”
The Belgian native has made a makeshift campsite on a small tree-covered green space on Sauvé Street, in Montreal’s Ahuntsic-Cartierville borough.
Kubben says the retailer copied his slogan, which he claims to have coined in 2016.
Three years ago, Kubben began a tour around the world, leaving his home town of Brussels.
“I sold my car, I quit my job, I sold everything to create a concept and to travel the world,” Kubben said.
On his journey, the social media icon began posting photos of his trips with a poster reading “Mom I’m fine.”
“If I was jumping out of a plane, swimming with sharks, every time I would have the same message for my mom,” Kubben said.
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Over time, the phrase became a slogan and Kubben along with his over 360,000 followers turned the viral craze into a clothing brand.
Before Kubben could mass produce and sell his products, he claims Reitmans cheated him.
The Reitmans “Mom, I’m fine” brand was a part of a Mother’s Day campaign in 2018.
“Is it ethical to take a whole concept?” Kubben said.
“For them, it’s another campaign. For me, it’s three years of my life.”
The “Mom, I’m fine” campaign was one of the company’s many brand initiatives that year, Reitmans said.
“This was a legitimate business campaign that was launched lawfully.”
Reitmans said in a statement to Global News that the marketing of the branded items was cancelled within one week of launch and no other products containing the phrase have been made since.
“We respect the creative work of our influencers, with whom we have a constructive and respectful relationship. Therefore, we decided to conclude the promotion of this campaign, despite the financial losses incurred by this decision,” Reitmans said.
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Kubben says over 10,000 branded T-shirts and bags were sold by Reitmans.
Kubben says there are ongoing negotiations between the two parties over the dispute. He says he is going to stand his ground and will not leave until it is resolved.
Kubben is asking for the licensing of the “Mom, I’m fine” brand to be given to him. He is also asking for the profits made from the sale of branded products to be put back into a humanitarian cause of his choice.
“That is what I want and I’m not moving if I don’t have them,” Kubben said.