50 Cent has sued Taco Bell, claiming the fast-food restaurant chain is using his name without permission in advertising that asks him to call himself 99 Cent.
The rapper says in a federal lawsuit filed Wednesday that the Mexican-themed chain features him in a print ad asking him to change his name to 79 Cent, 89 Cent or 99 Cent. His real name is Curtis Jackson.
The rapper’s court papers say the ad is part of Taco Bell’s “Why Pay More?” campaign, which promotes items for under a dollar, including Cinnamon Twists for 79 cents, Crunchy Tacos for 89 cents and Bean Burritos for 99 cents. The papers say the Irvine, Calif.-based company sent a bogus letter requesting the name change to the news media but not to the rapper.
The rapper’s lawyer, Peter D. Raymond, said his client didn’t learn about the letter or that he was featured in the ad campaign until he saw a news report about it. Raymond said his client is seeking $4 million in damages.
Taco Bell Corp. spokesman Rob Poetsch issued a statement saying: “We made a good faith, charitable offer to 50 Cent to change his name to either 79, 89 or 99 Cent for one day by rapping his order at a Taco Bell, and we would have been very pleased to make the $10,000 donation to the charity of his choice.”
This isn’t the first time 50 Cent has sued over his name or image.
In July 2007, he filed a $1 million lawsuit accusing an Internet ad company of using his image without permission in a game called “Shoot the Rapper,” in which the player pretends to shoot him.
The game shows 50 Cent walking in an ad across the top of a Web page while the viewer is encouraged to shoot him by aiming and clicking with the mouse, the rapper’s court papers said; a successful shot results in a misty cloud of red, and then the viewer is directed to another Web page, where the ad firm’s clients sell goods and services.
The rapper is a well-known victim of gun violence: He was shot outside his grandmother’s Queens home in 2000 and rapped in one of his biggest hits, “In da Club,” about being hit with a few shells.
The rapper has been nominated for 13 Grammys, including for the song “In da Club” and the album “Get Rich or Die Tryin’.” In 2005, he starred with Terrence Howard in a semi-autobiographical movie based on that album. He also starred in the 2006 film Home of the Brave as a soldier returning home from Iraq.
Apple and Google Face UK Investigation Into Mobile Browser Dominance
Apple and Google aren't giving consumers a genuine choice of mobile web browsers, a British watchdog said Friday in a report that recommends they face an investigation under new U.K. digital rules taking effect next year.
The Competition and Markets Authority took aim at Apple, saying the iPhone maker's tactics hold back innovation by stopping rivals from giving users new features like faster webpage loading. Apple does this by restricting progressive web apps, which don't need to be downloaded from an app store and aren't subject to app store commissions, the report said.
"This technology is not able to fully take off on iOS devices," the watchdog said in a provisional report on its investigation into mobile browsers that it opened after an initial study concluded that Apple and Google effectively have a chokehold on "mobile ecosystems."
The CMA's report also found that Apple and Google manipulate the choices given to mobile phone users to make their own browsers "the clearest or easiest option."
And it said that the a revenue-sharing deal between the two U.S. Big Tech companies "significantly reduces their financial incentives" to compete in mobile browsers on Apple's iOS operating system for iPhones.
Both companies said they will "engage constructively" with the CMA.
Apple said it disagreed with the findings and said it was concerned that the recommendations would undermine user privacy and security.
Google said the openness of its Android mobile operating system "has helped to expand choice, reduce prices and democratize access to smartphones and apps" and that it's "committed to open platforms that empower consumers."
It's the latest move by regulators on both sides of the Atlantic to crack down on the... Read More