Pharrell and Will.i.am Lawsuit Gets More Absurd: Dr. Seuss Brought Into 'Trademark Claim' Mix

The legal shenanigans between two of hip-hop's biggest acts and producers has gotten a little bit more absurd after children's author Dr. Seuss was cited as a possible argument in the case. 

Catching up on how we came to this point: Will.i.am filed a trademark claim against Pharrell Williams in June, claiming that the latter's "i am other" brand and logo infringed upon the Black Eyed Peas Producer's "I AM" label and logo. Essentially, Will.i.am claimed that he owned the copyright to the phrase "I am," because no one ever used that phrase before he came along. He also claimed that Pharrell's logo was "confusingly similar" to his own. Will.i.am's logo: a twist on the classic computer power icon. Pharrell's logo: a pyramid made up of the words "i am other." Will.i.am's lawyer has clarified that this isn't a lawsuit "per se" but they hoped to settle out of court. 

Pharrell hasn't shown any interest in settling anywhere. He quoted Dr. Seuss's "Green Eggs and Ham" in his argument that the two brand labels work in totally different ways. 

"In contrast, the I Am Other mark means 'I am something else,' leaving what that 'else' is to the imagination of the consumer. It certainly does not mean 'I am Will,'" his letter reads. 

If you don't quite follow the logic, don't worry. You're not alone. Perhaps a better argument would have been that Will.i.am has been committing copyright infringement for years, as he clearly took his alias from the character "Sam I Am" from "Green Eggs and Ham." The Seuss estate has been generous enough to not care however. Therefore it shouldn't be asking too much for the Black Eyed Pea to allow another performer to use the phrase "I am" in his branding.