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Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo 'no longer speaking' amid legal battle over the rights to using The Neptunes name

Pharrell Williams is no longer speaking to his Neptunes bandmate Chad Hugo. The musicians had been friends since high school, but in March, Chad filed a trademark opposition causing a rift.

Pharrell's rep told Billboard in a statement that Williams was 'surprised by this' lawsuit, as he and his team 'have reached out on multiple occasions to share in the ownership and administration of the trademark and will continue to make that offer. According to Hugo's legal team, on three occasions in 2022, Pharrell's company PW IP Holdings LLC attempted to trademark the name The Neptunes for purposes of streaming; music videos and ancillary content; and live shows, Billboard reported. 'Nothing, either written or oral, provided Williams or [PW IP Holdings] with the unilateral authority to register the trademarks,' Hugo's attorneys told the court, noting that Pharrell and his team have 'repeatedly' been flagged about the issue.

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