Pharrell Williams and will.i.am are suing each other over who owns the phrase "I am"
Pharrell Williams and Black Eyed Pea will.i.am have instigated legal action against each other over who has the right to use the phrase “I am.” Last week, will.i.am’s legal team filed a notice of opposition against Williams’ company, i am OTHER, claiming that he had legal ownership of “i am,” and ignoring millennia of basic linguistics that suggest otherwise. Williams, in turn, sued will.i.am back this week, claiming that his use of the “to be” conjugation in his company’s name is markedly different than will.i.am’s use of it in his actual name.