A trademark has placed Pharrell Williams in legal drama.
In April 2024, Pink, also known as Alecia Moore, sued Williams for trademarking “P.Inc” for his music-focused promotional marketing services, Rolling Stone reports. The pop singer’s lawyers are requesting for the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to not authorize his trademark as they claim that it resembles the “PINK” trademark, which court documents show she applied for in 1999 and registered in 2001.
Pink’s lawyers also claim that Williams’ trademark has the potential to damage her business and create confusion for her fans as they both operate in the music industry.
“[Williams’] P.INC Mark is similar to the PINK Marks in sight, sound, meaning and commercial impression,” the filing wrote, according to Rolling Stone. “[Williams’] and [Pink’s] goods and services are identical and/or closely related. … [Williams] is likely to market and promote its goods through the same channels of trade and to the same consumers as [Pink].”
According to Billboard, Williams is also catching heat from Victoria’s Secret. Before Pink’s company, Lefty Paw Print, filed its suit, the intimates and lingerie brand opposed the record producer’s trademark in March 2024. Known for its popular “Pink” line for over two decades, Victoria’s Secret doesn’t want Williams’ branding to create any conflicts for its customers either.
“Opposer’s use of its ‘Victoria’s Secret PINK’ and ‘PINK’ marks predates applicant’s filing date,” Victoria Secret’s attorneys wrote in a filing, per Billboard. “Applicant’s mark is highly similar to, and is the phonetic equivalent of, opposer’s ‘PINK’ marks.”
Earlier in April, the outlet reported that Williams and Chad Hugo, a friend and fellow member of The Neptunes, entered a legal battle of their own. Hugo and his lawyers claim that Williams sought complete ownership of the duo’s trademarks.
“Throughout their over thirty year history, [Hugo] and Williams agreed to, and in fact, have divided all assets,” Kenneth D. Freundlich, Hugo’s lawyer, wrote in a filing. “By ignoring and excluding [Hugo] from the any and all applications filed by applicant for the mark ‘The Neptunes,’ applicant has committed fraud in securing the trademarks and acted in bad faith.”
In response to Hugo’s allegations, a representative for Williams claimed that he and his team had made efforts to communicate with Hugo.
“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 representative stated. “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.”
