Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo, collectively often known as the Neptunes, are presently in court docket over the rights to the group’s title. Within the court docket claims, Chad Hugo states that Pharrell Williams is fraudulently making an attempt to regulate the Neptunes emblems for private achieve.
Billboard reviews that Hugo, 50, and Williams, additionally 50, are embroiled in a authorized tussle over the Neptunes title rights after Hugo and his attorneys filed a declare that Williams is in search of to register emblems for the band’s title. Based on Hugo’s aspect, this violates an settlement the pair made to separate all issues associated to the group title equally.
From Billboard:
“All through their over thirty yr historical past, [Hugo] and Williams agreed to, and in reality, have divided all property,” wrote Hugo’s lawyer Kenneth D. Freundlich, a outstanding music business litigator. “By ignoring and excluding [Hugo] from the any and all purposes filed by applicant for the mark ‘The Neptunes,’ applicant has dedicated fraud in securing the emblems and acted in unhealthy religion.”
By way of a consultant, Williams supplied an announcement to Billboard explaining that the transfer was to not squeeze out Hugo however as an alternative to make sure no different events might lay declare to the title.
“Pharrell is shocked by this. We’ve reached out on a number of events to share within the possession and administration of the trademark and can proceed to make that supply. The purpose right here was to verify a 3rd celebration doesn’t come up with the trademark and to ensure Chad and Pharrell share in possession and administration,” learn the assertion.
Freundlich countered the assertion by writing, “If Pharrell’s intent was to incorporate Chad within the submitting, he ought to have registered it within the title of them collectively or as a partnership and never in his personal title.”
The Neptunes have been chargeable for a bevy of hit songs, producing smashes for the likes of The Clipse, Snoop Dogg, Nelly, Justin Timberlake, and others.
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Picture: Gary Gershoff / Getty
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