The legal dispute between Will.i.am and Pharrell over the use of phrase “I am” has always been silly. Now it’s also getting a little ugly.
Lawyers for the Black Eyed Peas rapper-producer and the “Get Lucky”- and “Blurred Lines”-crooning Neptunes producer have been going back and forth over whether Will.i.am’s right to the phrase “I Am” should block Pharrell from establishing the YouTube channel “I Am Other.” Over the summer, Pharrell’s lawyers brought up how Will.i.am’s name resembles that of a Dr. Seuss character. Most recently, Pharrell’s reps are apparently arguing, in effect, that Pharrell is so far out of Will.i.am’s league nobody could possibly confuse the two.
According to TMZ, Will.i.am’s court filings say Pharrell’s use of “I Am Other” could confuse people because both musical acts have “achieved great distinction” in their field. Pharrell’s response reportedly says Will.i.am hasn’t achieved distinction as great as Pharrell’s, so no way are people gonna get mixed up about who’s who. Pharrell also points to various charges of plagiarism directed at Will.i.am.
You know what this means, right? Will.i.am is going to visit lawyers and tell them to “Work Bitch,” and then they’re going to come back and file papers bringing up how “Blurred Lines” supposedly rips off Marvin Gaye. And then those will get leaked to TMZ, and the whole sad cycle will start again because two rich people will continue to fight over who can use the phrase “I am.” We are serious.
