50 Cent is suing a car dealer over advertisements that he said used his trademarked name without permission
- Aug 24, 2005
AceShowbiz - One more trouble to solve for rapper 50 Cent. The star, born Curtis James Jackson III, filed a lawsuit in federal court Friday against a Philadelphia car dealership, Gary Barbera Enterprises, which he claims has used his name and image in its advertisement without permission.
Per the suit, Gary Barbera Enterprises used the slogan "Just Like 50 Says!" over the backdrop of a Dodge Magnum and a photo of the rapper, allegedly without getting his consent. Thus, 50, who in the lawsuit describes himself as "a hugely popular and extremely successful hip-hop music artist ... known for his good looks, `gangsta' image and hard knocks success story," is seeking more than $1 million from the car dealer.
Speaking about this case, Barbera marketing director Eric Gerstein said Tuesday that 50 Cent had recorded a radio station spot promoting the station's giveaway of a Barbera Magnum. The print ad paraphrased the radio spot, and so the car dealer believed the matter was closed.
