Will.i.am’s Dispute with Pharell Over the Phrase “I am”

By
TrevinB
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…And he strikes again! Just when you think Will.i.am would try and be somewhat low key after the whole plagiarism debacle he experienced when stealing Mat Zo’s track earlier this year, here he is kind of suing but not actually suing very talented and admired musician, Pharell Williams. Earlier this morning it was released that Will.i.am would try and take Pharell to court for supposedly stealing the phrase “I am”, which apparently at some point in history came under the ownership of Will.i.am when he sponsored an iPhone add on called “i.am+” (apparently a iPhone lens enhancer that not a lot of people purchased, don’t worry, I’ve never heard of it before now either). But hold the phone, a few hours later Will.i.am announced via twitter that he isn’t suing Pharell and was never planning to. But wait, this just in, Will.i.am’s lawyer released a statement to BBC stating that “will.i.am is not suing Pharrell Williams. What will.i.am has done is what any trademark owner must do to protect and maintain a trademark. This is a run-of-the-mill trademark dispute that has been going on since late last year.”

So what exactly is going on here? Is Pharell in trouble with Will.i.am’s legal team for using the phrase “I am” and in danger of being sued? Or is this an issue that has been going on for more than half a year that somehow just surfaced into the spotlight today? Well whatever is going on, Pharell released a well worded statement about the impending (but apparently not impending) lawsuit.

He stated, “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. 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.” Well said, Pharell.

Well hopefully this will all blow over without any unjust lawsuits over use of a phrase that I used myself just last night after meeting someone for the first time (I may have to lawyer up soon). But if anyone could find the humor in this confusion, it’s the great DJ/producer, A-trak. In a handful of tweets, A-trak made some light-hearted jokes about the situation. Let’s hope this just ends up being something we can all laugh about later (as long as LMFAO doesn’t end up trying to sue America).

 

 

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