Pharrell Williams sues Will.i.am over "i am" trademark

On the left: Pharrell Williams
On the right: Will.i.am

The musician and producer Pharrell Williams recently sued the singer Will.i.am over a trademark battle, asking a New York federal court to rule that he did not infringe any trademark with the use of the phrase "I am" in his trademark "i am OTHER".

Previously,Will.i.am, née William Adams, the famous frontman of the Black Eyed Peas sent a cease and desist letter demanding Pharrell to stop using the "i am" title for his "i am OTHER" website and YouTube channel, claiming that he owns the copyright to the phrase "i am". Lawyers for Will.i.am said that the Pharrell's use of the term "i am" is likely to cause the website visitors to believe that Will.i.am is somehow linked with Pharrell's website.

In response to the cease and desist letter, Pharrell filed this lawsuit arguing that "i am OTHER" mark is not confusingly similar to the will.i.am trademark.

Pharrell underlined that the "i am OTHER" mark means "i am something else" leaving what that "else" is to the consumers' imagination. In addition, there are no periods in the "i am" trademark that he and his I Am Other Entertainment company use. Therefore, his trademark would not infringe, dilute or unfairly compete with the use of phrasing "Will.i.am" by the Black Eyed Peas' rapper or any of Mr Adams' alleged "i am" trademarks. In addition, Pharrell said that the phrase "i am" has been used in many other trademarks.

Will.i.am owns the "I am" trademark since 2001, while Pharrell launched "i am OTHER" in 2010.

Who will win?