Rapper Will.i.am‘s ego is already massive enough to catch objects in its own orbit, but a recent development shows that his ego is reaching super-critical levels and is on the verge of collapsing into a black hole that will suck everything good and holy into it. Will.i.am will reportedly be taking legal action against famed producer Pharrell Williams over the name of his creative brand ‘i am OTHER‘. Why? The ludicrous reason, Will.i.am claims he has ownership of the phrase, ‘I am’.
You read that right, Will.i.am thinks he has a legal ownership of one of the most basic phrases in the English language. Not surprisingly, Pharrell is none to happy about this, stating, “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.”
Already mired in controversy for the theft of Arty and Mat Zo‘s tune Rebound, Will.iam is playing the victim this time, claiming that people may associate i am OTHER with Will.i.am and thus harm his brand and reputation. I don’t know about you, but I don’t think I’ll have any problems distinguishing a rip-off from Pharrell Williams side project. Stay tuned to see what Will.i.am claims ownership of next, maybe the moon, music in general, or perhaps just the air we all breathe.
UPDATES: So apparently, Will.i.am is not ‘suing’ Pharrell, at least not yet. Will‘s lawyer said that they are not suing and this incident is a ‘run of the mill trademark procedure’. The complaint is still that i am OTHER will dilute Will.i.am‘s brand. Lawsuit aside it’s absolutely ridiculous that Will.i.am is claiming ownership of the phrase “I am”, which is probably one of the most common expressions in the entire English language. SMH.
Source: Rolling Stone