Legal Issues

“I am”

There are two super producers in conflict or using “I am” in their name. Will.I.Am of the Black Eyed Peas is saying that Pharell Williams of N.E.R.D. is unlawfully using his “I am” trademark in which he owns. Pharell changed his name on YouTube to IamOther and planned on starting a campaign with the same name. Will.I.Am feels that Pharell will cause confusion amongst fans. And according to TMZ, there is no actual lawsuit against either one of these producers but, Pharell has asked a judge to grant him legal rights to use the "I am" for his campaign. The names are close but I don’t think that it will necessarily cause any confusion for anyone. Both are big named producers with completely different brands. And both uses of “I am” are completely different. I don’t think that there is any problem with what Pharell has done from what I have seen so far.

“Mac vs. Lord”

Mac Miller is not necessarily a household name, but it seems that he wants it that way. He is definitely a known and respected rapper in the music industry, and he definitely is RICH which most people don’t think until they research him. There was a rapper named Lord Finesse who released a song in 1995 called “Hip 2 Da Game,” and in 2010 Mac sampled the song and put it on a mix tape. The song never directly made Mac any money because it was not for sale it was just released on a free mix tape. And according to AllHipHop.com Mac and Lord Finesse spoke after he heard the song and there was not a problem. Recently Lord Finesse is suing Mac Miller for sampling the song. I feel that he does not have a case. I feel this is a perfect example of trying to use a person success to get to the next level. Lord Finesse probably did not realize who Mac Miller really was because he is not always in the limelight. And at the time Mac was not who he is today. But since he is “Mac Miller” now Lord Finesse sees it as an opportunity, rather money or publicity.

“50”

Rapper 50 Cent sued an Internet ad company for a game. The game was called Shoot the Rapper. 50 Cent is a rapper who can attribute getting shot to his success. 50 Cent was shot nine times in front of his grandmothers house. Not only was that publicity for his career, it also build an interesting story which he told through his music(and other sources of media), it gave him motivation to “Get Rich or Die Trying,” and the list can go on and on.  The game that the ad company made had a picture of 50 Cent moving back and forth and if u clicked on him you would shoot him and you are promised a prize. I fell that there should not be a problem with 50 cent winning his case. Its obvious that he is know for being shot, and the picture is obviously him. Not only are they using him unlawfully, they are exploiting a negative time in his life.