Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo, who created hits like Snoop Dogg’s “Drop It Like It’s Hot” and SZA’s “Hit Different” as The Neptunes, are now embroiled in a legal dispute over their brand's name.

Despite their shared success and entry into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2022, Hugo has taken legal action against Williams, alleging attempts to monopolize The Neptunes’ trademarks. As reported by Billboard this morning (April 1), the lawsuit claimed that the “Happy” hitmaker "fraudulently" pursued sole ownership of the proprietary name while contravening their equal partnership agreement.

"Throughout their over 30-year history, [Hugo] and Williams agreed to and have divided all assets equally," Hugo's lawyer, Kenneth D. Freundlich, told the outlet. “By ignoring and excluding [Hugo] from any and all applications filed by [the] applicant for the mark, ‘The Neptunes,’ [the] applicant has committed fraud in securing the trademarks and acted in bad faith.”

A representative for Williams responded, “Pharrell is surprised by this. We 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 contention revolves around three trademark applications for "The Neptunes" related to streaming music, music videos, and live performances allegedly filed by Williams without his co-founder's consent. Hugo’s legal team asserted the fashion designer’s actions breached their mutual agreement for equal asset division.

The Neptunes was formed in the 1990s and, since then, contributed to numerous successful tracks. Some of those include “Gotta Have It” by Kanye West and JAY-Z, Kendrick Lamar’s “good kid,” Kelis’ “Milkshake,” Nelly’s “Hot in Herre,” and Brent Faiyaz’s “Wasting Time.”

While Hugo continues to produce, recently working on Kanye West and Ty Dolla Sign’s “PROBLEMATIC,” his career has kept a relatively low profile in comparison to his beat-making counterpart. Notably, Williams launched skincare brand Humanrace in 2020, worked with labels like HUMAN MADE and became Louis Vuitton’s creative director of menswear in 2023.