Will.i.am Denies Suing Pharrell Over Copyright Claim

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Will.i.am Denies Suing Pharrell Over Copyright Claim

A lawyer for will.i.am has responded to what he calls “misinformation”  surrounding the Black Eyed Peas leader’s copyright  claim against Pharrell Williams’ new “i am OTHER” brand. In a statement,  attorney Ken Hertz said that his client is not suing Pharrell, but is engaging  in a “run-of-the-mill trademark procedure” in order to “defend trademarks that  have been registered and that [will.i.am] has used widely and continuously for  many years.”

Will.i.am owns the copyright to the phrase “I AM” and claims that Pharrell’s  new brand is “confusingly similar” and that the “i am OTHER” logo would appear  on goods in a manner similar to those that bear will.i.am’s mark. “The  registration of the mark . . . is likely to dilute the I AM mark and the  WILL.I.AM mark,” the document reads.

“I am disappointed that Will, a fellow artist, would file a case against me,”  Pharrell told Rolling Stone. “I am someone who likes to talk things out  and, in fact, I attempted to do just that on many occasions. I am surprised in  how this is being handled and I am confident that Will’s trademark claims will  ultimately be found to be as meritless and ridiculous as I do.”

In his own statement though, Hertz said that will.i.am’s trademark lawyer  reached out to Pharrell’s after a third-party “watch” service alerted them to  the registration of a similar mark about a year ago. Though the two attorneys  attempted to resolve the dispute over several months, Hertz says Trademark  Office deadlines forced will.i.am to lodge an official objection.

“This is how the process works,” Hertz said. “We own a trademark. They have  applied for a trademark. We think their proposed trademark is too close to our  registered and common law trademarks. They disagree. We  hope to work out a sensible compromise that will allow both parties to move  forward without unnecessary acrimony.”

SOURCE: Rolling Stone

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