The Real Rick Ross Filing A New Lawsuit Against Rapper Rick Ross

After losing a court battle last year to rapper Rick Ross, the real Rick Ross is lashing out at the emcee again with a brand new lawsuit.

As previously reported, Freeway Rick Ross, noted for being a drug trafficker that spent over a decade behind bars, lost a trademark infringement case after a judge ruled that he could not properly trademark his name due to the wide use of it in magazines, television, and media.

In an exclusive interview with BET.com, Freeway Ross revealed that he has attained new legal representation from Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP and he's gearing up to present his case in California state court on May 2.

The Los Angeles street legend believes he has a better shot at winning in state court now that the

California-based law firm picked up the case on a “contingency bases.”
Speaking on the case he tells BET,

“We always knew our case was stronger in the state than it was in the feds. California state law really protects people with their names and their likenesses. So we knew that was stronger inside California than it was in the feds, but we wanted to go the big route first then work our way down.”

In the previous suit, filed in June 2010, the real Ross was seeking compensation from the rapper Ross, Jay-Z, Def Jam Records, Universal Music Group and others, for trademark violations, unfair competition and misappropriation of his publicity rights.
The judge dismissed the case on the grounds that the real Ross did not show enough evidence of secondary usage by the rapper.
Now with Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, on his side, Freeway still plans to name the same defendants, but threatened to include Warner Music Group if they use his name as part of their recent partnership with the rapper Rick Ross' Maybach Music Group.

“I'll slap a lawsuit on them as well,” Ross promises. “They better not put my name on his product or I'ma be after them, too. I ain't scared of none of them.”

The real Ross is confident that in this second round of legal proceedings he'll regain ownership of his name in order for it to be used in a better light.

“We're both teaching two different messages,” says Freeway Ross. “He's teaching my old life: sell drugs, disrespect women, all the things that really have our country in shambles. I'm teaching uplifting values, education, literacy. He's teaching illiteracy.”

For more details on the lawsuit go to www.freewayrick.com.

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