Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo in legal dispute over “The Neptunes” name

The Neptunes are in a legal battle over their name

An iconic music duo is fighting over custody of their shared brand. The rap/producing duo The Neptunes are in a unique legal battle over trademarking behind their band name. Chad Hugo and Pharrell Williams are the duo behind the band, that has worked together for more than 30 years. In a shocking move, Chad proceeded to file a trademark opposition against Pharrell claiming he is fraudulently looking for sole control of The Neptunes trademark.

Before they became one of the greatest producer duo’s in modern music history they were two students who loved creating. In 1992 they were discovered by Teddy Riley and quickly produced the hit single “Rump Shaker” while still attending school. Taking their talents further the duo produced Ol Dirty Bastard’s classic “Got Your Money” featuring Kelis. Since then they duo has went on to produce number one singles for Brittney Spears, Beyoncé, Justin Timberlake, Jay-Z, Nelly, T.I., Robin Thicke, Mystikal, Busta Rhymes and so many others. In 2020 they were inducted into the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame.

Despite this new disagreement, there has never been any rumors that there were any issues between the two. Chad’s legal team has stated both he and Pharrell “agreed to a 50/50 split” on all royalties and trademark rights behind The Neptunes. However, the recent legal dispute claims “Pharrell filed several new trademark registrations without consulting Chad”. Pharrell’s team has stated they reached out to Chad prior to the filings.

The Neptunes are in a legal battle over their name