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 a trademark opposition at a federal tribunal, which has caused a rift between the pair.
Despite this, the Happy hitmaker insisted he still wishes ‘the best’ for his former pal.
When asked about their relationship, Pharrell told The Hollywood Reporter: ‘I always wish him the absolute best.’
As for whether they are on speaking terms, the 13-time Grammy winner admitted they weren’t.
‘No. But I love him, and I always wish him the absolute 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 had voiced his own character for his new LEGO-animated documentary Piece by Piece.
The rift began when Chad’s legal team claimed Pharrell had ‘knowingly and intentionally’ filed trademark applications for his band N.E.R.D., his Miami hotel Goodtime Hotel and more without consulting Hugo, despite being ‘fully aware’ that his partner should have been listed as a co-owner.
His lawyer wrote: ‘Throughout their over 30 year history, [Hugo] and Williams agreed to, and in fact, have divided all assets.
‘By ignoring and excluding [Hugo] from the any and all applications filed by applicant for the mark The Neptunes, applicant has committed fraud in securing the trademarks and acted in bad faith.’
Elsewhere in the interview, Williams revealed he has rejected approaches to sell the rights to his back catalogue, insisting there is ‘no number’ that would persuade him to do so.
He said: ‘Selling is not for me. There’s no number to sell your rights. Not for me. But to each his own. For some people, I guess, it makes sense. When they’re done, they’re done. But I love music and I love my work, and I love my ability to make music, so selling is not a thing.’
Hugo’s lawyer Kenneth D. Freundlich told Billboard, ‘Throughout their over thirty year history, [Hugo] and Williams agreed to, and in fact, have divided all assets.’
Freundlich said that ‘by ignoring and excluding [Hugo] from the any and all applications filed by applicant for the mark “The Neptunes,” applicant has committed fraud in securing the trademarks and acted in bad faith.’
The rift began when Chad’s legal team claimed Pharrell had ‘knowingly and intentionally’ filed trademark applications for his band N.E.R.D., his Miami hotel Goodtime Hotel and more without consulting Hugo, despite being ‘fully aware’ that his partner should have been listed as a co-owner. Pictured here at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival
Pharrell’s rep told Billboard in a statement that Williams was ‘surprised by this’ lawsuit, as he and his team ‘have reached out on multiple occasions to share in the ownership and administration of the trademark and will continue to make that offer.
‘The goal here was to make sure a third party doesn’t get a hold of the trademark and to guarantee Chad and Pharrell share in ownership and administration.’
The paperwork Pharrell filed suggested otherwise, Freundlich told the outlet in a response statement.
‘If Pharrell’s intent was to include Chad in the filing, he should have registered it in the name of their jointly owned company Neptunes, LLC and not in 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, on three occasions in 2022, Pharrell’s company PW IP Holdings LLC attempted to trademark the name The Neptunes for purposes of streaming; music videos and ancillary content; and live shows, Billboard reported.
Pharrell uses the company PW IP Holdings LLC for other business endeavors including his musical group N.E.R.D.; his hotel, The Goodtime Hotel: South Beach Miami Hotel; and other brands he’s endorsed.
Hugo’s legal team told the court Pharrell ‘knowingly and intentionally’ filed the trio of applications without contacting Hugo, despite being ‘fully aware’ Hugo should have been named a partner on the papers.
‘Nothing, either written or oral, provided Williams or [PW IP Holdings] with the unilateral authority to register the trademarks,’ Hugo’s attorneys told the court, noting that Pharrell and his team have ‘repeatedly’ been flagged about the issue.
Hugo’s legal team said in docs filed at a federal tribunal that Pharrell sought to register trademarks for The Neptunes name without Hugo’s involvement, in breach of a past professional pact they had made to divide everything down the middle, 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 on multiple occasions to share in the ownership and administration of the trademark and will continue to make that offer. N.E.R.D. seen here at the 2018 Kid’s Choice Awards
Pharrell has ‘admitted’ Hugo ‘is equal co-owner of the trademarks’ and vowed to involve him, Hugo’s lawyer said.
Hugo’s legal team said that Pharrell’s business associated have presented Hugo with ‘onerous business terms’ when it comes to control and finances.
Prior to his breakout as a solo artist, Pharrell and Hugo – who formed a friendship as children – formed a producing tandem that was responsible for a number of pop hits more than two decades back
They included 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 track Drop It Like It’s Hot, among others.
In June of 2002, the pair were indicted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, which Pharrell dubbed ‘a huge honor,’ according to Revolt TV.
‘The immense sense of gratitude that I feel is probably taking over everything in terms of like the being in it-ness,’ Pharrell said in a red carpet interview. ‘I’m failing at that because I always have delayed reactions, so two to three days from now, I’ll be like whoa I was really in the room with like the Eurythmics and Ronald Isley.
‘It’ll probably hit me by then but right now it’s kinda like, “Oh wow.”‘
Dailymail.com has reached out to Pharrell’s reps for comment on this story.
