Convicted drug dealer “Freeway” Rick is appealing a July decision by Judge Percy Anderson of California’s Ninth District, which dismissed his case against platinum rapper Rick Ross. In the original suit Ross claimed the Florida rapper stole his name and identity in a commercial conspiracy led by former Def Jam President Jay-Z. Ross filed his suit under the Lanham Act, which protects against trademark infringement.
The case was ultimately dismissed because Freeway Rick couldn’t legitimately show he had trademark rights to his name. Judge Anderson has federal jurisdiction and Freeway Rick apparently filed a state-based claim. That distinction still allows Ross to file an amended lawsuit in state court as opposed to appealing his previous suit for $10 million.
UPDATE (04/11/11): Ross believes that California’s laws are geared more towards celebrity culture and may be more favorable in protecting trademarks and licenses. In an exclusive interview with BET.com’s Rondell Conway, Ross said his intention was always to start at the federal level and work his way down to the individual state courts. The law firm Manatt, Phelps & Phillips will represent Freeway Rick on a contingency basis. That practice is usually reserved for high-risk cases, and it typically allows for the client to pay a firm an agreed-upon share of the recovery. There is no charge to the client if the case is unsuccessful, so if Ross is still seeking $10 million in damages, both parties could see sizable profits from a win.
“We’re both teaching two different messages,” Freeway Ross told Conway. “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.”
some1 tell that nigga to go get a job at burger king… u dont matter!!
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can dis niga jus b happy he out tha pin! move on nigga! (but he prolly mad cuz a CO took his name lol)
PEN not pin!
he should just start rapping about selling drugs, make some trap music and stack some paper…. he actually did it so it couldnt be that bad.
It is kinda shady that while Rick Ross was working as a C.O. and the real Rick Ross was in prison He stole his name and claimed he was a Boss in the black market drug trade… I hope they make C.O. Rick Ross change his name..
i aint sayin i believe he did all he says, but how u know ross (the rapper) wasnt slangin before or after the c.o. shit? i know i’ve had plenty of jobs in my life, so i could definitely see how ross could get into that life after the c.o. stint…
Why would you reward a career criminal by punishing a guy, for as far as we know has lived a crime free life.
I dont know of Ross ever getting arrested or anything.
if its because he’s fake than every so called “gangsta rapper” would be charghed with fraud
Yeah but read the article…. CO Rick Ross is pretending to be the real Rick Ross. The real RR has did the crime and did the time. He is trying to teach people to stay away from that life. While CO Rick Ross is trying to glorify it. He even took it as far as shaving his head and growing a beard like Rick Ross. Its pathetic.
The judge saw this for the shakedown that it is and was…
yah fuck ross fake ass SHOUTOUT 2 DA REAL RICKY ROSS
real or fake.. ricky got the name and the marketing plan was strong behind one of the biggest songs of the last decade.. it brought the greatest rapper out of retirement.. with that said, ross needs to break some bread with the man that he’s paying homage to, if he really has respect for him.. just “Pay dat mayahn his mauuneee.. ” real recognize real, so hopefully these two will sit down and chop it up, and rick ross will use the connection to solidify his street credibility.. this could be a major step in Ro$$ adding to his network instead of consistently spitting on dudes.. we all know where disrespect leads.. no where good.. jay-z and wayne are the only reason ro$$ is where he is.. his flow is mean.. but his image was supported by two of the hottest rappers in the world with massive street cred and support.. one love to both rickies.. get together and do the right thing.. o.g. to o.g… get down or lay down
You forgot about Diddy, he put Ross on a big way this year. He’s got his face everywhere and he’s got him on so many different tracks. Diddy’s influence has helped Ricky Rozay out a lot too….not just Jay-Z
ROSS DONT RESPECT THE REAL FREEWAY RICK ROSS. THIS IS WHY THIS IS HAPPENING
tired of bullshit hiphop you cant relate to? bentleys fake diamonds and fake gangsters?
then check out
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WxEtfs36qpg
hes keepin it real
why would the fake ross respect a scum who’s responsible for ruining america with drugs and killing our people in the 1980’s.
MEN U GUYS ARE D BEST OF ALL
FUCK TRAP MUSIC!!!! Glorifying drug selling and all that bullshit. Nigga this is the 2010s. If you can’t make money, go work! If you can’t find work, keep searchin.
You can’t be poor and be able to pay money for studio time and recording material at the same time. That means you’re FAKE and didn’t even HAVE to sell coke, or heroine and all that bullshit.
Make some meaningful music for once, smfh!
Trap music ruined hip hop…!! All because of bitch ass rapper’s who claim to be like 2Pac but will never be 10% of him.
All because of nigga’s who wanna sell millions of records like T.I. and Lil Lame by just talkin’ bout guns, money, cars, drugs and all that senseless unconsious NONSENSE!!
Rap was ruined before trap music came into the game, it hasn’t been good since the late 1990’s when we lost pac and biggie.
Biggie was gay and Pac was a glorified shit starter just like 50 Cent. (aka shot 9 times or killed)
I bet 50 is paying for this lawsuit since he has nothing better to do.
gucci a real nigga that DID have to sell drugs for studio time. same with freddie gibbs. fuck outta here u lame
broke ass nigga!!! hahahaha
even though that reason for suing sounds very politically correct, it still seems like he’s trying to get a buck.
After all he could have used the name to sell crunchy nuts, soaps, school books and nike.
A whole generation of new sex’d up male rappers n rae puts his mud hole in…now sue jigga
Could have invested in mineral water!
The C.O. would be better respected by more people if he wasnt claiming to be something/someone he not…honestly if a lot of you were in the situation the REAL Freeway Rick Ross was in then you would understand why he pissed off…honestly i would just take it as far as to make him change his name…think about it i mean look at Freeway he didn’t need to call himself Freeway Rick Ross to sell his records, of course he actually lived a hood life in Philly so that make a big difference too…but bottom line is the real rick ross more than likely won’t get money from it so i would say make that fraud one at least change his name…You can’t make a negative into a positive like the music industry has let happen…someone who almost had a life sentence went to jail for the same thing that this rapper is claiming to be, put the fraud one in jail for rapping about it for a few years i bet you he come out with a new name rapping about something else other than a life he didnt live…
I bet 50 is paying for this lawsuit since he has nothing better to do other than suing Young Buck.
Lil Troy sued Scarface but down south that shit aint real or cool. Its snitching and running to the laws for help!!
It’s G-Code shit down here!!
Because you retards are still stuck in 1985..
I MISSED the Rick Ross album that went “PLATINUM”. Could someone enlighten me?
that one came out in his dreams
Freeway you lost nigga, get over it. Ricky Rozay now own the game.
Bawse!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
dis nigga rick ross thinks hes freeway rick ross, he thinks hes big meech, he thinks he john gotti, he thinks hes larry hoover, he thinks hes mc hammer, he thinks hes 2pac
be yourself bro
good shit
“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.†nuff said
Ross, “the rapper”, doesn’t owe him a dime. There’s nothing more pathetic and desperate than trying to eat off another man’s plate. That’s the price the Real Ross has to pay. That would be like OJ getting out of prison and coming out to a world that doesn’t want anything more to do with him.
“theres nothing more pathetic and desperate than trying to eat off another man’s plate”
^^ you know what else is desperate and pathetic?? pretending to be someone who you are not!!!
this article says PLATINUM rapper Rick Ross, this nigga barely GOLD
The nigga sold crack the black community. All we should give him is a bullet in his dome.
so what about that fat fuck that pretends he sells crack to the black community? isnt that even worse?
Hmmmm…Jay-Z sold crack to his own mother and then wrote a song about it. Wanna put a bullet in his head too? What about Snoop? What about all of these rappers?? Half of them sold crack for real, and the other half are just a bunch of fakers and dick-riders trying to play a role. How many bullets u got tough guy?
did jay-z really sell crack to his moms? thats fucked up
reminds me that i just heard about a cop giving his wife a traffice ticket
@ belle…jay never sold crack to his mum….plz do name d song and mk a fool outta urself publicly…u just type rubbish.
Crack dealers looking for some easy money. smh
rick ross is a talented fraud …he´s good at rapping but he´s been using other people to get where he wants to be
rick ross,teflon don,big meech,larry hoover…he needs to stop
BUT
That Freeway dude sold drugs and poisoned the black community ,he doesnt deserve a dime
NO reward for that busta
Well said. Lol at talented fraud.
@ Mr. Phillips:
There is one man in this article that is really named Rick Ross. It’s kind of messed up that u write an article about a man and can’t use his REAL name, but then use his real name to identify a man using it fraudulently.
Let’s keep it true and write the article about “Freeway Rick Ross” and “fake Rick Ross.” Or better yet, use fake Rick Ross’ real name.
Fake people using real names – real people getting jacked for their name…Messed up.
Anonymous
Fake or not, Ross is making money and that bothers the real Ross.
What if everything someone said in their raps was all your lifestyle even used your name, claim to know the cartels as everyone knows feeway did because not everyone is intelligent enough to know that isn’t the real ross on these songs I’m sure after time they knew but when music first comes out you don’t see the rapper
i dont get why all these rappers wanna be like the LEGIT mobsters,big drug dealers, n OG gang members, name ONE kingpin, mob boss, drug dealer, gang member etc. that aint been killed or put in jail. ill wait. (the only 1 that comes to mind is OG T Rodgers, otha than that. nope)
This is a lawsuit that the real Rick Ross should win cause he really did get jacked for his name cause of his reputation. Taken by a fuckin C.O.
This is a real life CB4 situation. Freeway Rick is Gusto and Rick Ross is Albert aka MC Gusto. Freeway Rick is trying squeeze blood outta turnip and Rick Ross was wrong for jacking that man’s image. Everybody lost in this situation.
that Rick Ro$$, is going to end up changing his name. He’s calling him self Rick Rozzay or Ricky Rozzay in almost every song now, like he’s trying to get everybody used to the name so that if he does have to change it, people won’t be surprised
Fuck Freeway Rick Ross!. Rozay made the name, now washed up, no cash Freeway wanting to take cash from Rick ross who practically made this nigga famous. Freeway Rick just wanna take money and not work for it.
Bawse!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!