S. Samuel
Black Eyed Peas frontman Will.i.am has stepped forward to clear the air on reports that claim he is taking fellow hitmaker Pharrell Williams to court over a copyright infringement matter.
Will hopped onto his Twitter page and unleashed a slew of tweets denying his involvement in any case against Pharrell.
“i.am not suing @Pharrell & I NEVER WAS.. What i.am doing is… #iamSCHOLARSHIP sending kids to school debt free. go2 http://www.iamANGELfoundation.org,” he tweeted June 27th.
“i.am not suing @Pharrell & i never was. what i.am doing is #iamHOME helping families keep their homes… see http://www.iamangelfoundation.org”
“i.am not suing @Pharrell and I never was… what i.am doing is #iamangel TRANS4Ming inner cities with #STEAM tools… http://www.iamangelfoundation.org”
“@360MEDIAUK i am not suing @Pharrell, I NEVER WAS what i am doin is #iamSCHOLARSHIP sending kids to college debt free http://www.iamANGELfoundation.org”
“@PerezHilton i never was & i.am not suing @Pharrell but im doing #iamSCHOLARSHIP sending kids to college debt free. http://www.iamANGELfoundation.org”
“question: what do you do with success…? what do you do with time…? what is this all for…? answer: #helpPEOPLE” (Will.i.am’s Twitter)
Details of the reported lawsuit surfaced across the Internet early Wednesday (June 26).
Will.i.am is taking legal action against Pharrell Williams over the latter’s new creative brand “i am OTHER” – claiming that he owns the copyright to the phrase “I AM” and that Pharrell’s logo is “confusingly similar,” according to official court documents obtained by Rolling Stone. In his notice of opposition, Will.i.am argues that Pharrell would be using his “i am OTHER” brand on clothing and other items in a manner similar to the goods that bear his own “I AM” logo. “The registration of the mark . . . is likely to dilute the I AM mark and the WILL.I.AM mark,” the document reads. (Rolling Stone)
Williams has already responded, via statement, and admitted the suit caught him off-guard.
“I am disappointed that Will, a fellow artist, would file a case against me,” Pharrell says in a statement to RS. “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.” (Statement)
Over the past few years, Pharrell has popularized his I Am Other brand.
The musician and fashion mogul has paired up with branded entertainment producer United Entertainment Group to launch I Am Other as a content-driven property that spotlights new musicians, filmmakers, designers, artists and innovators through online, mobile and retail channels, TV shows and films. Venture is being formally introduced to marketers Tuesday as they’re gathered in Gotham to choose which TV shows to advertise around this fall. I Am Other is courting those same sponsors. It’s designed around products and experiences that Williams will curate and recommend to his millions of fans and followers for them to purchase. I Am Other will also bow this fall, fitting in with the media planning of buyers at the upfronts. (Variety)
