Thursday, June 27, 2013 2:36am ET by  
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Will.i.am has no plans to sue Pharrell Williams

Will.i.am has poured cold water on speculation that he is suing Pharrell Williams.

As previously reported, Williams was recently quoted as saying in a statement to Rolling Stone that he was "disappointed" that the '#willpower' man was due to take legal action against him.

The alleged lawsuit was in relation to Williams' 'i am OTHER' branding, with will.i.am reportedly claiming that it was too similar to his own ideas.

However, the Voice UK coach has taken to Twitter to deny that he will be launching legal action. He said:

"i.am not suing @Pharrell & I NEVER WAS.. What i.am doing is... #iamSCHOLARSHIP sending kids to school debt free. go2 http://www.iamANGELfoundation.org."

He added: "i.am not suing @Pharrell & i never was. what i.am doing is #iamHOME helping families keep their homes... see http://www.iamangelfoundation.org."

Will.i.am concluded: "i.am not suing @Pharrell and I never was... what i.am doing is #iamangel TRANS4Ming inner cities with #STEAM tools... http://www.iamangelfoundation.org."

A lawyer for will.i.am later told BBC Newsbeat: "Will.i.am is not suing Pharrell Williams. What will.i.am has done is what any trademark owner must do to protect and maintain a trademark. This is a run-of-the-mill trademark dispute that has been going on since late last year.

"In order to avoid weakening or losing his trademark, will.i.am has an obligation under trademark law to monitor and defend his trademarks against confusingly similar marks. will.i.am has registered several trademarks, including 'I AM', which is also emphasised in, and a significant element of, his professional name. We think their proposed trademark is too close to our registered and common law trademarks. They disagree. We hope to work out a sensible compromise that will allow both parties to move forward without unnecessary acrimony."

 

 

 

 

Watch Will.i.am on The Voice below: