Fiddy vs Taco Bell: Run For The Border!
Filed under: Legal Matters > 50 Cent
50 Cent filed a lawsuit against Taco Bell on Wednesday.
What's the beef?
The rapper claims the fast food chain made him the star of its hip-hop themed ad campaign without his permission and (more importantly) without paying him a fee.
50 Cent, whose real name is Curtis Jackson, accuses the Mexican-style fast food chain of "diluting the value of his good name" and employing a guerrilla advertising campaign to fool consumers into thinking he had endorsed the chain, said the lawsuit, filed in Manhattan federal court.
"Without seeking or obtaining Jackson's authorization, defendant Taco Bell made him the star and focus of its nation-wide advertising campaign by using his name, persona and trademark to promote Taco Bell's business and products," court papers said.
The lawsuit accuses the chain of disseminating a letter, addressed to 50 Cent, that encourages the rapper to change his name to "79 Cent," "89 Cent" or "99 Cent," the lawsuit said.
The letter was designed to promote the company's "79-89-99 Cent Why Pay More" campaign, while avoiding the multimillion dollar fee the rapper might have charged to use his name, the lawsuit said.
The letter was eventually sent to the rapper, but only after it had been circulated to reporters, the lawsuit said.
WTF????
He's mad at Taco Bell for sending a letter????
We're not a lawyer, but….
What they did was a publicity stunt, sweetie.
His lawsuit seems to be trying to squash Taco's freedom of speech…and publicity stunting!
What do U think about the situation????
[Image via Mavrix Online.
I dont like him.. never did never will
yo quiero taco bell
PEREZ. I LOVE U!
Go Taco Bell!
I dont like him but I agree with him in this case.
FIRST
What the fuck? Celebrities are so messed up in the head, seriously.
TACO BELL COULD KICK HIS ASS ANYDAY.
first!!!
ahahahaha
perez sits on his fatass all day and eats greasy popcorn
he eats candy and pop and popcicles and goes to the SWEET FACTORY AND MCDOLANDS every damn day!!!!!!!!!! everytime his tub o' lard takes a step the whole house jiggles and the neighbors wake up.
his poops are very large!!!! the size of boats.
FIRST.
haha, wow.
DUMB
First!!!!?!?!?!
He probably needs money. Wow cent is a very commonly used word that not only wannabe Kanyes use.
fiddy is way too sensitive!! perez rules!
I don't really get it to be honest…. but I haven't seen any of the so-called advertisements…
check out www.reactin.com.au
its funny stuff!
50 is a has been
Im with 50 on this one!
I like your "What's the beef?" pun, whether intentional or not.
Perez, once again, research the facts, or in this case the law, before yapping. Taco Bell's speech is commercial speech. Thus, it is held to a different standard than public speech. Companies can not intentionally mislead the public for their own pecuniary gain. I am sure you would not like it if T-Bell used your name or likeness in an ad campaign without your permission and without paying you for it.
i think thas bullshit that taco beell would do that
Um, fiddy himself diluted "the value of his good (sic) name". You think he'd be glad to be worth 79 cents instead of 50, LOL. Frivolous!
ugly gorilla looking monkey face
so primitive
but that's what rap is; a way for dumb monkey people to get into show biz too.
Taco Bell is wrong. Pay up this side of the boarder. Go get em Fiddy!
He's a dumbass women hater and I wish he would go away.
I LOVE 50 cent!! and the advertizing shit for TB is soo stupid! and corny
f fiddy……I hope this shiz goes to court and the judge awards him 50 cents for damages. he needs to get over himself.
taco bell is the bizomb! bring back the chihuaua
Perez,
Are you that brain dead, it wasn't a publicity stunt, it was a calculated advertising campaign. The people of Taco Bell get the reporters to distribute the letter in the name of "news". Saves the company a few bucks in advertising. You should get a fee for "advertising" on your blog.
i think fiddy is justified. its his trademark, and if that was ever to happen to perez he would probably be doing the same thing. uhh who wouldnt?
nearly every time you open your mouth, perez, you make an ass of yourself. no more so than when you try and talk about the law. you are ignorant of how the law works, and you are wrong here, as you usually are. stick to what you do best. what is that again? oh, right, insulting other people.
I don't blame him, but he's still talks like a dumb ghetto mf
He's suing because they sent the letter to reporters first.
Hey Yo Fifty, can U see me from all the way up there on UR high horse?
wow. he's a little drama queen.
"Snake" is right in this situation….50 has a valid case. Commercial speech is held to a different standard and if TB profited off of the commercials, they needed fitty's consent…
Perez, honey, if one corporation was mentioning another corporation by name in its ad to generate income, the first company would have a right to sue, because it owns the brand name. Well, 50 Cent is a corporation at this point, and he has a legal right to the sole use of his own name to make money.
What it comes down to in legal terms is that Taco Bell denied Fiddy an opportunity to sell fast food himself using such a slogan, which would have generated income for him.
Ive never liked 50 and never will. He needs to get over himself. not everything is about you 50!
GO TEAM TACO BELL!!!
freedom of speech is a right protected by the constitution. the constitution protects citizens from GOVERNMENT action, not the actions of other private citizens or corporations. 50 cent is not the government, therefore the constitution does not bar his suit against taco bell; in fact it is completely irrelevant. the suit 50 is bringing is probably an appropriation of likeness suit. it is illegal to use someones name or likeness in an advertisement without that person's consent.
You HAVE to protect your trademark. No matter how insignificant a use may seem, if a name/brand becomes over used or common place, you lose control of it. Fifty loses control of (and profits from) his name and trademark if it becomes common place and over used. That is why Xerox wants you to copy things, not xerox them, Tivo wants to you record things not tivo them, and Q-tips are a brand of cotton swab. Its not just the lawyers, its trademark law and a way of protecting your name and who you are. Which is why Paris Hilton should have sued your ass when you came up with your silly name.
maybe they should have sent him a letter asking him to change his name to:
1 Cent, 5 Cent or 10 Cent cause that's about all that this moron is worth…
yo yo fid yo git duh isn tu nuf duh yo noimsaayin noimsaayin????
thats soooo…. dumb
haha i was about to post about the merits of the case when i saw all the other posts…i get the feeling im not the only one taking a break from studying for the bar by "issue spotting" on perez…con law, invasion of privacy…fun stuff
mmmkay, so…. why would an ad campaign whose major tagline is, "why pay more?" encourage someone to go from fiddy cents to a minimum of 79? makes no sense. none at all.
What do I think of the situation? …..Uh….yeah…..I'll buy a taco for fiddy cent………heh
Perez,
You can only claim to be protected by the First Amendment Free Speech Clause if the government is trying to censor you. Most of the time they can't but there are limited occasions where they can "control" your speech.
Here, the cause of action is between two private parties. You cannot defame private citizens or misappropraite their name if they are public figures as FIDDY certainly is.
Hope this clears things up for you.
They knew exactly what they were doing. They just tried to cover it up by being "funny"
I love Taco Bell (guilty pleasure) but they're wrong in this case!
you were actually eleventh
IF I SPEAK MY MIND WILL HALF A BUCK TRY TO SUE METOO? SO MUCH FOR FREEDOM OF SPEECH IN THIS COUNTRY, SCREW THIS CRAP, WHAT A CHUMP ASS!!!!
i'm becoming more racist by the minute.
You dumb fucks!! There are no trademarks on fifty cent items on menus, nor could 50 Cent dream of trademarking them, because it would be logistically impossible. If someone joked that the no talent, ass clown should change his name to 79 cent, then surely it was in jest.
Sorry I didn't realize I was using legal words.
"Misappropriation" of fiddy's name is unauthorized use of his name for a commercial advntage.
Mexican styled fast food chain? Really? Are you fat AND stupid? Those jerks couldn't make a real Mexican taco if you double slapped them with one.
Someone who's famous has special "rights to publicity" surrounding their own name. Ditto 50 Cent's right on this one.
CAN WE SAY GREEDY FUCK?
Ape on steroid.
Re: ACW –
"Rights to publicity" is not a legal theory.
LMAO
GO TACO BELL!
had it once when we were over ….. loved it
BOOOO 50 Cent ! ya big child!
IRELAND LUVS PEREZ!
IRELAND LUVS PEREZ!
IRELAND LUVS PEREZ!
IRELAND LUVS PEREZ!
IRELAND LUVS PEREZ!
IRELAND LUVS PEREZ!
IRELAND LUVS PEREZ!
IRELAND LUVS PEREZ!
and what is the value of his good name??? a man who promotes violence and devalues women in all of his videos is worried about his good name???… puleeeze
Ugly.
Fiddy is an idiot. In three years when his crap rap is selling in the walmart bargain bin he'll be begging for places like Taco Bell to promote him. I'll throw him 50 cents when I see him panhandling in L.A. Too bad these no talent, can't really sing morons get such an overblown image of themselves.
I think from a legal standpoint, he will certainly win this case.
Another ass wipe who thinks he can sing!
It figures that you'd side with the entity that profited from using another's name and or works for profit. It's how you got to where you are today - stealing from others!
he's in the entertainment industry. they tried to pull a publicity stunt using his name and fame. they owe him money for using his fame because that's the industry he's in and thats where he makes his money… vitamin water paid him crazy money to be a part of their campaign, why should taco bell be any different and get the shit for free?
Re: legal – But did 50 cent get approval to use that name as it is definetily not his real name. As he made money on that name. Mabey he owes the Treasury Board some cash in a counter suite. 50 cent or likeness is for all to use..Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
Bwah ha haha hahahahahahahahahaha!
Fiddy should sue Taco Bell's ass for having the nerve to violate Fiddy's name and reputation. Fiddy is entitled to his piece of the action, and it's bad enough that Taco Bell are trying to besmirch his reputation by saying that he even likes that ugly ass food, what's far worse is they tryin to get away with not payin Fiddy his taxes. Sheeesh!
Perez learn to read and comprehend!
He is not suing them because they sent him a letter. They are saying that they sent the authorization letter was sent after the campaign had already run!!
PS when i saw that commercial I immediately thought 50 was promoting Taco Bell!
its called defemation. it is illegal to use someone name or likeness to promote without their consent. so its not just about being a publicity stunt, perez. learn your law.
i think no one gives a shit about 50-cent anymore… so he should just crawl back uner the rock he came out from and shut the fuck up. besides, taco bell is the bomb. he sucks.
the ad looks NOTHING like 50 and they never mention 50 cents only 79, 89, and 99… soooooooooo how is that infringe on him? he's a moron.
um.. yeah taco bell really tried to get over and use 50 cent to promote the campaign! come on! and he's not sueing for a letter being sent. taco bell CLEARLY tried to use 50 cent to get publicity to make money on sales. this is open and shut. taco bell was stupid for doing this.
i think 50 always acts like a little bitch latley, from runnin his mouth about people ( ex..T.I.) ,to recording personal conversatins he has with his "boys" and sending in them radio stations to be broadcasted… he has no respect for anyone and its looks like people (his "use to be" fans) are starting to see that…
lex
uppity ni&&er
50 cent is retarded. His "music" sucks so he probably needs money, so he's trying to take it from a fast food chain. Geez..
fiddy?? i thought his name was no sense.
Re: Jink – learn how to spell POPSICLES clown. hahahahahahahahaha
50 cent grow up personally i would be honored to be in any commercial and not get paid im a college student who needs money and i wouldnt want any but i guess 50 only cares about money which is a sad thing!!!!
wow 50 cent is such a fRKn LOSer!!!! taco bell is AWESOME and 50 is a cheap loser!
OMG ……..SAME HERE HE IS A SELL OUT FUCKER………..
Taco Bell is using his name and likeness and legally, he is entitled to sue for defamation
Can all the 12-year-olds please leave? Seriously.
*giggle/snort*His good name?!?!?!?!….LMAO!!!
Re: sensi – hello and yes 50 cent owns the name 50 cent its copy written under his real name why do you think hes sueing taco bell they used it with out his promission .
chill 50….
you already have 300 birrrion dollars
RAP IS DEAD! WHO THE FUCK CARES ANYWAY
OMG!
CENT is not even his REAL name!
what a dumbass