Pink has filed a legal action against Pharrell Williams over his efforts to secure a trademark on the term “P.Inc” – a case that comes just weeks after Pharrell was hit with a similar branding dispute case by a longtime friend.
In an action filed Thursday at a federal tribunal, lawyers for Pink (real name Alecia Moore) claim that the trademark Pharrell is trying to register is so similar to her stage name that it’s “likely to cause confusion, mistake and/or deception” among consumers who see it.
The case was filed by Pink’s company, Lefty Paw Print, which owns numerous trademark registrations to her name, against Pharrell’s company, PW IP Holdings. Reps for Pharrell did not immediately return a request for comment.
The new legal battle comes less than a month after Pharrell was hit with the same type of trademark action by Chad Hugo, his longtime producing partner and childhood friend. Hugo claims that Pharrell is “fraudulently” seeking sole control over the trademarks to “The Neptunes” – the name of their prolific 2000s songwriting partnership – even though they have always split the group’s assets.
At the time, Pharrell’s reps said he had been “surprised” by Hugo’s accusations, and that his “Neptunes” trademark applications had been solely designed to “make sure a third party doesn’t get a hold of the trademark.” Hugo’s lawyers rejected that explanation, calling the trademark applications “a land grab in a long simmering dispute.”
At issue in the new case is an application to register “P.Inc” as a federal trademark, which his lawyers say he intends to use for a wide range of services, including “promotional marketing services in the field of music.” A trademark registration is what allows brands to place the (R) symbol next to their name, and makes it easier to sue people who use it without permission.
The application was filed last year by PW IP Holdings LLC, Pharrell’s company that also owns such trademark registrations for his band N.E.R.D., his Miami-based Goodtime Hotel, and numerous other brand names connected to the superstar.
Pink’s attorneys did not immediately return a request for comment on the dispute.
Even before Pink filed her case on Thursday, Pharrell’s application for the “P. Inc” trademark had already drawn legal opposition from another entity that has prominently used the name “Pink” for its goods.
That would be Victoria’s Secret, which since 2002 has sold a line of PINK lingerie and apparel. The retail giant filed its own case against Pharrell’s company last month, making similar arguments that Pharrell’s trademark would be confusingly similar to its own name.
“Opposer’s use of its ‘Victoria’s Secret PINK’ and ‘PINK’ marks predates applicant’s filing date,” the company’s lawyers wrote in a March 21 filing. “Applicant’s mark is highly similar to, and is the phonetic equivalent of, opposer’s ‘PINK’ marks.”