Chad Hugo is suing former production partner, Pharrell Williams, over trademarks regarding The Neptune’s name.
According to Billboard, Hugo alleges that Williams is “fraudulently” trying to gain sole ownership and control of the name. Chad and his attorney, Kenneth D. Freundlich, took legal action against his friend in March.
The suit alleges that Pharrell attempts to “unilaterally register trademarks for The Neptunes name” through his company, PW IP Holdings LLC. As stated in the legal documents, this move not only goes against their 30-year agreement to split everything involving the iconic Neptunes brand, but also raises serious legal questions from Hugo’s camp.
Hugo’s suit highlights three incidents in which Pharrell has attempted to register The Neptunes as a trademark. The three attempts were filed in 2022, and tried to 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.
Chad’s legal document asserts that Williams “knowingly and intentionally” filed the trademarks without seeking input from his business partner. The suit states that “Nothing, either written or oral, provided Williams or [PW IP Holdings] with the unilateral authority to register the trademarks.”
Freundlich, the famous music litigator, prepared a statement detailing how Williams has operated 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.”
Williams has responded to the lawsuit in a statement to Billboard. He reassured his longtime friend and collaborator that he meant no malice in his trademark filings. Pharrell claimed that he was trying to block other people from using their Neptune’s trademark.
“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 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.”
The legendary producer also insisted they pressed Pharrell’s legal team about the problem. Hugo’s suit claims that Williams’ lawyers “admitted that [Hugo] is an equal co-owner of the trademarks,”—which aligns with Pharrell’s previous statement.
However, the lawsuit alleges that Williams never “shared” the trademark holdings because his company engaged in “onerous business terms.” As a result, Hugo was “deprived” of proper control and compensation.
Prior to the lawsuit, Williams’ PW IP Holdings LLC had successfully registered The Neptunes’ name for musical sound recordings. The company also has another pending application to register the name for clothing.
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