“There’s not a dollar involved in this stupidity. Just a lawyer looking to drain Chad’s pockets.”
Winter/Getty Images; Wargo/Getty Images for Roc Nation
Pusha T isn’t feeling the “stupidity” of The Neptunes’ court battle.
On Monday (April 1), Push reacted to Chad Hugo‘s lawsuit against Pharrell Williams for ownership rights to The Neptunes trademark.
An Instagram archivist page named Artemus Gordon shared the news in his IG Story. At the bottom, the page featured a comment from Pusha T, who claimed Hugo’s lawyer was using the situation to line his pockets. “There’s not a dollar involved in this stupidity. Just a lawyer looking to drain Chad’s pockets. Unreal,” Push typed. Gordon responded to Push’s analysis and offered an example of what is potentially going on with the trademark dispute.
Artemus used the example of Ralph Tresvant and Johnny Gill purchasing New Edition’s trademark. The remaining members, Ronnie, Bobby, Ricky, and Mike, were all frustrated and confused with the move. However, Gill explained in an interview with VLAD TV that he and Ralph didn’t file the trademark to be sneaky, but to prevent their legacy from being owned by someone else.
After various conversations, the trademark dispute was resolved, with the other four members coming to an understanding with Ralph and Johnny. Well, Pusha T states that Chad and Pharrell’s matter is the same. “Smh… nothing more, nothing less.” But, Chad’s attorney, Kenneth D. Freundlich, sees the situation as Pharrell operating in “bad faith.”
“Throughout their over thirty-year history, [Hugo] and Williams agreed to, and in fact, have divided all assets,” Kenneth D. Freundlich expressed. “By ignoring and excluding [Hugo] from any and all applications filed by applicant for the mark ‘The Neptunes,’ applicant has committed fraud in securing the trademarks and acted in bad faith.”
According to Billboard, Hugo claimed that Williams was “fraudulently” trying to gain sole ownership and control of The Neptunes trademark. The suit also alleges that Pharrell attempts to “unilaterally register trademarks for The Neptunes name” through his company, PW IP Holdings LLC.
The legal documentation spotlights three incidents in which Pharrell has attempted to register The Neptunes as a trademark. The three attempts cover the name’s use for streaming music, music videos, and live performances. Other endeavors registered to Williams’ company include his Goodtime Hotel and N.E.R.D trademark.
Williams and his team have responded to Hugo’s lawsuit and admitted that Pharrell was “surprised.” A rep for Pharrell insisted that he wasn’t trying to financially strong-arm his friend. The statement insists that, much like Ralph and Johnny, he was trying to protect their legacy.
“Pharrell is surprised by this. We have reached out on multiple occasions to share in the ownership and administration of the trademark and will continue to make that offer,” the statement reads. “The goal here was to make sure a third party doesn’t get a hold of the trademark and to guarantee Chad and Pharrell share in ownership and administration.”
Additionally, Chad Hugo’s suit claims that Williams’ lawyers “admitted that [Hugo] is an equal co-owner of the trademarks,”—which aligns with Pharrell’s statement.
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