Pharrell Williams is no longer speaking to his Neptunes bandmate Chad Hugo.
The musicians had been friends since high school, but in March, Chad filed an objection to the trademark application in federal court, leading to a rift between the two.
Despite this, the Happy hitmaker insisted he still wished ‘the best’ for his former friend.
When asked about their relationship, Pharrell said The Hollywood Reporter: “I always wish him the very best.”
As for whether they still speak, the 13-time Grammy winner admitted that they don’t.
“No. But I love him, and I always wish him the best, and I’m very grateful for our time together,” Williams explained.
Pharrell Williams is no longer speaking to his Neptunes bandmate Chad Hugo, seen here in 2022
Pharrell also confirmed to the outlet that Chad has voiced his own character for his new LEGO animated documentary Piece by Piece.
The rift came after Chad’s legal team alleged that Pharrell “knowingly” filed trademark applications for his band NERD, his Miami hotel Goodtime Hotel and more without consulting Hugo, despite “fully knowing” that his partner should have been listed as co-owner.
His attorney wrote: ‘Throughout their 30-plus year history, [Hugo] and Williams agreed to divide all assets, which is what happened.
‘By ignoring and excluding [Hugo] All applications filed by the applicant for the mark The Neptunes show that the applicant committed fraud in obtaining the trademarks and acted in bad faith.’
Elsewhere in the interview, Williams said he has rejected all attempts to sell the rights to his previous albums, stressing that there is “no number” that would convince him to do so.
He said, ‘Selling is not for me. There is no number to sell your rights. Not for me. But to each his own. For some people it makes sense, I guess. When they’re done, they’re done. But I love music and I love my job, and I love my ability to make music, so selling is not a thing.’
Hugo’s attorney Kenneth D. Freundlich said Billboard‘Throughout their more than thirty year history, [Hugo] and Williams agreed to divide all assets, and did so.’
Freundlich said that ‘by ignoring and excluding [Hugo] all applications filed by the applicant for the mark “The Neptunes” show that the applicant committed fraud in obtaining the trademarks and acted in bad faith.’
The rift began when Chad’s legal team alleged that Pharrell “knowingly and intentionally” filed trademark applications for his band NERD, his Miami hotel Goodtime Hotel and more without consulting Hugo, despite being “fully aware” that his partner should have been listed as co-owner. Pictured here at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival
Pharrell’s spokesperson told Billboard in a statement that Williams was “surprised by this” lawsuit, as he and his team “have reached out multiple times to share ownership and control of the trademark and will continue to make that offer.”
“The purpose of this was to ensure that no third party would gain ownership of the trademark and to ensure that Chad and Pharrell would have joint ownership and control.”
The documents Pharrell filed suggested otherwise, Freundlich told the newspaper in response to the statement.
“If Pharrell intended to include Chad in the filing, he should have filed it under their joint company Neptunes, LLC and not his own name,” Freundlich said. “This was a land grab in a long-simmering dispute that has yet to be resolved.”
According to Hugo’s legal team, Pharrell’s company PW IP Holdings LLC attempted to trademark The Neptunes name three times in 2022 for streaming, music videos and ancillary content, and live shows, Billboard reported.
Pharrell also uses the company PW IP Holdings LLC for other business ventures, including his music group NERD, his hotel, The Goodtime Hotel: South Beach Miami Hotel, and other brands he endorses.
Hugo’s legal team told the court that Pharrell “knowingly and willingly” filed the three applications without contacting Hugo, despite being “fully aware” that Hugo should have been named as a partner on the documents.
‘Nothing, either written or oral, provided for Williams or [PW IP Holdings] “with the unilateral authority to register the trademarks,” Hugo’s lawyers told the court, noting that Pharrell and his team have been notified “repeatedly” of the matter.
Hugo’s legal team said in documents filed in federal court that Pharrell attempted to register trademarks for the name The Neptunes without Hugo’s involvement, violating a previous professional agreement they had to split everything in two, seen here in 2023
Pharrell’s rep told Billboard in a statement that Williams was “surprised by this” lawsuit, as he and his team “have reached out multiple times to share ownership and control of the trademark and will continue to make that offer. NERD seen here at the 2018 Kid’s Choice Awards
Pharrell has “admitted” that Hugo “is a co-owner of the trademarks” and has vowed to implicate him, according to Hugo’s lawyer.
According to Hugo’s legal team, Pharrell’s business partners have imposed “onerous business conditions” on Hugo when it comes to control and finances.
Before Pharrell broke through as a solo artist, Hugo and Pharrell — who formed a friendship as children — formed a production duo that was responsible for a number of pop hits more than two decades ago
These include Nelly’s 2002 hit Hot in Herre, Justin Timberlake’s 2002 song Rock Your Body, Gwen Stefani’s 2004 song Hollaback Girl and Snoop Dogg’s 2004 song Drop It Like It’s Hot.
In June 2002, the duo were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, which Pharrell called “a tremendous honor,” according to Rebellion TV.
“The immense sense of gratitude that I feel probably takes over everything in terms of ‘being there,’” Pharrell said in a red carpet interview. “I fail at that because I always have delayed reactions, so in two or three days I’ll be like, Wow, I was actually in the room with the Eurythmics and Ronald Isley.
‘I think I got it then, but now I’m like, “Oh wow.”‘
Ny Breaking.com has contacted Pharrell’s representatives for comment on this story.
