Chad Hugo and Pharrell Williams are embroiled in a legal dispute over The Neptunes’ name rights.
According to Billboard, Hugo accused Pharrell of trying to “fraudulently” monopolize the trademarks.
Before Pharrell was a solo star, he made several hits as part of The Neptunes, including Snoop Dogg’s “Drop It Like It’s Hot” and Nelly’s “Hot In Here.”
In 2022, The Neptunes even joined the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
However, Hugo took legal action against Pharrell, with his attorneys accusing the latter of trying to single-handedly register trademarks for the Netptunes name.
“Throughout their over thirty year history, [Hugo] and Williams agreed to, and in fact, have divided all assets. By ignoring and excluding [Hugo] from the any and all applications filed by applicant for the mark ‘The Neptunes,’ applicant has committed fraud in securing the trademarks and acted in bad faith.”
Pharrell Williams Disputes The Accusations
Pharrell Williams, however, denied any ill intent, as his representative confirmed.
“Pharrell is surprised by this. We have reached out on multiple occasions to share in the ownership and administration of the trademark and will continue to make that offer. The goal here was to make sure a third party doesn’t get a hold of the trademark and to guarantee Chad and Pharrell share in ownership and administration.”
Freundlich, however, didn’t agree with Pharrell.
“If Pharrell’s intent was to include Chad in the filing, he should have registered it in the name of them jointly or as a partnership and not in his own name. This was a land grab in a long simmering dispute that has yet to be resolved.”
The disputed issues are three applications to register “The Neptunes” as a trademark for Pharrell to use for streaming music, music videos, and live performances.
Hugo’s attorney insisted that Pharrell Williams “knowingly and intentionally” filed the applications without Hugo’s input.
“Nothing, either written or oral, provided Williams or [PW IP Holdings] with the unilateral authority to register the trademarks.”
