The '#willpower' artist has filed a copyright lawsuit against the N.E.R.D vocalist over his 'i am OTHER' brand.
- Jun 27, 2013
AceShowbiz - Black Eyed Peas' leader will.i.am is suing fellow artist Pharrell Williams over his use of the former's "I AM" trademark on the latter's "i am OTHER" brand. The "Scream & Shout" artist claims that he owns the copyright to the phrase "I AM" and Williams' creative brand dilutes his ownership of the "I AM" and "WILL.I.AM" marks.
will.i.am further claims that Williams' "i am OTHER" logo is "confusingly similar" to his own "I AM " logo. The record producer established the "i am OTHER" as a "creative venture and way of life," with brands such as Billionaire Boys Club & ICECREAM and Brooklyn Machine Works aimed to find a diverse group of talented individuals and promote them online.
Williams quickly addressed the lawsuit in a statement, saying, "I am disappointed that will, a fellow artist, would file a case against me. I am someone who likes to talk things out and, in fact, I attempted to do just that on many occasions." He reveals, "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."
will.i.am is no stranger to copyright infringement as he himself is facing allegations of song theft made by producers Arty and Mat Zo, who claim the 38-year-old songwriter/producer ripped off their dance track "Rebound" to come up with his "Let's Go" collaboration track with Chris Brown.
UPDATE: will.i.am. has denied reports that he's suing Pharrell Williams over 'I AM' trademark. The BEP member tweeted on June 26, "i.am not suing @Pharrell and I never was... what i.am doing is #iamangel TRANS4Ming inner cities with #STEAM tools... https://www.iamangelfoundation.org"
