Earlier this week it was reported that rapper Will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas was suing singer/songwriter Pharrell for using the term “i am OTHER.” Now, Pharrell is fighting back.
Last week it was reported that Will.i.am was worried that Pharrell’s “i am OTHER” would dilute the “I AM” and “Will.i.am” mark. These worries caused Will.i.am to pursue a trademark procedure to protect his trademark. However, Pharrell claimed he has tried to talk to Will.i.am about this matter on multiple occasions but was ignored. The way the situation is being dealt with has angered Pharrell, who is now in pursuit of a judge who rule that his trademark “i am OTHER” isn’t too much alike “I AM” or “Will.i.am” according to Huffington Post. Pharrell is supposedly “seeking a declaratory judgment of non-infringement.”
TMZ reports that Pharrell’s argument was that the two artists were using “I AM” in two different ways. Apparently Pharrell said that Will.i.am is using “I AM” in a Suessian way, as in Dr. Suess. He even quoted Green Eggs and Ham to prove his point:
“Sam I am/I am Sam.”
Pharrell, on the other hand, is using “I AM” in terms of “I am something else.”
There have been no comments from Will’s lawyer on the matter.