‘God Forbid a Young Woman Is … Ambitious:’ Woman Says BMW Sued Her for an Alibaba Trick. Here’s How She Got Them to Back Off

"They gonna try and sue you againnnn."

Photo by: scaredandsobbing & Artiom Vallat

By: JT Wilson

Aug 3, 2025 at 5:00am ET

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When a teenage entrepreneur attracts the attention of a corporate legal department, the results can be both terrifying and absurd—and one young woman’s viral TikTok suggests that sometimes the biggest companies will go after the smallest targets.

TikTok user @scaredandsobbing went viral with a kitchen confessional that racked up nearly a quarter million likes in just one day.

In the July 31 video, she tells a wild story in which she claims that BMW sued her not once, but twice, over an Alibaba business scheme she started as a teenager—and how her father’s intervention finally made it all go away.

Motor1 direct messaged @scaredandsobbing on TikTok with a request for comment. We'll update this if she responds.

The Teenage Hustle

Her story begins with an 18-year-old’s lightbulb moment about the arbitrage opportunities in drop-shipping.

“When I was 18, I realized that you could buy [expletive] from Alibaba in bulk and then sell it for more, right? And make money,” she explains in her video.

Her chosen product? BMW emblems with a twist.

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“I’m selling BMW emblems in my head, right? There is no copyright infringement because I changed the colors, right? I wasn’t selling blue and white,” she says. “I was selling red and black and white, whatever.”

She believed she was operating legally by selling aftermarket products with modified colors and never claiming they were factory parts.

“I also never claimed that they were factory. I always claimed they’re aftermarket, right?” scaredandsobbing says. “So I thought I was in the clear.”

The First Legal Strike

Her side hustle was short-lived.

“I got a letter in the mail. When I say letter, I mean a packet in the mail,” she recalls. “BMW versus me.”

The demands were heavy: Stop selling the emblems, surrender all remaining inventory, provide manufacturer information, and hand over financial records. Her response was defiant.

“I was not about to be doing any of that. First of all, I’m not a snitch. Number two, listen, I’m stupid, but not that stupid,” she shares. “I’m not about to tell you how much money I made on this.”

Instead, she crafted what she describes as creative responses to BMW’s demands. “I tell them I sold all the inventory,” she says. “I tell them I have no idea who the manufacturer is because I found them on a street in the East Bronx, right? So I have no information to share with you.”

As for financial statements? She told BMW, “You think I’m keeping financial statements? Please be serious.”

Round Two: The Stakes Get Higher

A year later, BMW wasn’t finished.

“I get another packet in the mail. I’m being sued again by BMW, right? I don’t understand,” scaredandsobbing says.

This time, the stakes were significantly higher. BMW’s response to her initial non-compliance was severe: “They’re like, well, you didn’t give us all the information. This exposes you to statutory damages within the range of $1,000 to $2 million.”

For an 18-year-old, the threat was overwhelming. “I am 18 years old, dude. I’m legitimately 18 years old. I don’t know what to tell you.”

The resolution came through family intervention. “My father called the law office and had a conversation with them in an Arab male way, which means he talked and then no one spoke and everyone decided that it wasn’t worth it,” she recalls.

Community Response

The video struck a chord with viewers who were, by turns, entertained and outraged by BMW’s aggressive pursuit of a teenager. Sweetbits captured the absurdity: “BMW sueing a child is CRAZY work. like whattt”

Self-described legal expert Ashleah Page pointed out a potential misstep by BMW: “Baby you could’ve counter-sued, especially speaking to you without an attorney, an underaged child!!”

A user named Carlyle validated the father’s approach, writing, “As an attorney your dad actually handled that correctly lol”

Other viewers shared similar experiences. Sam Good wrote, “LMAO! At 19 I got sued by Shaun T with beach body for $1,000,000 for doing the same thing! My mom who is a lawyer called them and they dropped it!”

Many commenters focused on the perceived overreach. Mindyobusiness summed up the sentiment: “Bmw has too much time to waste wtf.”

The Trademark Reality

While scaredandsobbing believed changing colors protected her from infringement claims, trademark law is more complex. BMW’s distinctive kidney grille logo and roundel are protected regardless of color variations, and selling modified versions can still constitute trademark infringement.

And in the past, BMW has shown itself to be more than willing to sue companies selling counterfeit merchandise.

The story told by scaredandsobbing suggests that they are willing to pursue even small-scale operators in defense of their trademarks.

Some viewers worried the viral video might reignite BMW’s interest.

Drash Tove warned, “They gon sue you a 3rd time when they see this,” while beatriceirim advised, “Girl put this on friends only or something. They gonna try and sue you againnnn.”