Pharrell Williams confirmed he’s no longer in contact with his former Neptunes partner Chad Hugo following Hugo’s lawsuit over The Neptunes trademark.
Earlier this year, Hugo took legal action against Williams, claiming that his attempt to register The Neptunes trademark for three separate purposes without Hugo’s consent violated their agreement.
The conflict came to light during Williams’ interview with The Hollywood Reporter, where he openly addressed their strained relationship.
When asked if he remained on speaking terms with his childhood friend, Williams responded, “No. But I love him, and I always wish him the absolute best, and I’m very grateful for our time together.”
Despite the falling out, Pharrell Williams confirmed Hugo contributed his voice for the character in Williams’ upcoming animated biopic, “Piece by Piece.”
The Neptunes, a duo best known for shaping early 2000s Hip-Hop with chart-topping hits like Kelis’ “Milkshake,” Nelly’s “Hot in Herre,” Snoop Dogg’s “Drop It Like It’s Hot,” Gwen Stefani’s “Hollaback Girl,” and Britney Spears’ “I’m a Slave 4 U,” now find themselves embroiled in a bitter dispute.
Chad Hugo’s lawsuit accused Pharrell Williams of breaching their long-held agreement to equally share ownership of The Neptunes trademarks.
Filed in court, the complaint asserted Williams “knowingly and intentionally” sought control over the trademarks without involving Hugo or recognizing him as co-owner.
In response to the allegations, Williams issued a statement saying, “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.”
Contradicting this, Hugo’s lawyer, Kenneth D. Freundlich, argued, “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.”