Pharrell Williams recently spoke about his current relationship with his bandmate from The Neptunes and NERD, Chad Hugo. In an interview with The Hollywood ReporterPharrell was asked about the lawsuit filed by Chad Hugo regarding The Neptunes trademark.
Pharrell was quick to wish him well, simply replying, “I always wish him the very best,” but when asked if they were currently on speaking terms, he admitted, “No.” Pharrell has always stressed there were no hard feelings, “But I love him and I always wish him the very best and am very grateful for our time together.” Earlier this year, Hugo’s legal team filed suit against Pharrell for allegedly attempting to monopolize the naming rights to The Neptunes. Hugo claims this violated their agreement to split the rights equally when Pharrell attempted to file trademarks under their production name. Pharrell had reportedly attempted to file three separate trademark applications for The Neptunes under his own PW IP Holdings LLC, including one for music streaming, music videos and live performances. When Hugo filed the suit, people close to Pharrell claimed he was “surprised” by the lawsuit.
Although they are no longer on speaking terms, Pharrell has also confirmed that Hugo’s voice will be featured in his upcoming LEGO biopic titled piece by piece is narrated by Chad Hugo himself. The film recently premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. It remains to be seen how this case will develop in court.
