6ix9ine is being called a thief - according to a rapper with the same name.
Warren Hamilton Jr. claims the "GOOBA" hitmaker ripped him off and misled everyone since he first thought of and performed under the rap name, SIX9.
According to Hamilton, he began adopting the moniker in 2007 and has collaborated with other well-known hip-hop artists such as Lil Wayne, 2 Chainz, Shawty Redd, and Stoopidbeatz.
He apparently worked constantly over the previous decade to promote his profession, releasing various songs and mixtapes from 2013 to this year.
Hamilton applied for federal trademark registration for SIX9 in 2014, and his application was approved the same year.
SIX9 alleges that 6ix9ine, born Daniel Hernandez, began rapping under the alias Tekashi69 in 2014.
However, after pleading guilty to employing a minor in a sexual performance, he altered the spelling of his name and began rebranding himself as 6ix9ine in 2015.
Hernandez, according to Hamilton, first adopted the new form of his name in 2017 when he released his song "GUMMO."
Hernandez allegedly did not attempt to register the version of his rap moniker until February 2020, while Hamilton's trademark remained active. However, the harm had already been done by that point.
"[The] unfavorable use of the 6IX9INE mark to promote Hernandez's products and services in the entertainment business has produced confusion in the marketplace and harmed and hampered Hamilton's career in the entertainment industry," Hamilton's lawyer David Chase LanCarte said to All Hip Hop.
According to the lawyer, some rap fans attended Hamilton's live gigs assuming Hernandez would be participating.
"Many music organizers and booking agencies have refused to book live performance performances involving Hamilton because his trademark SIX9 is so confusingly similar or the same as Defendants' infringing 6IX9INE mark," according to the lawsuit.
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The USPTO refused Hernandez's mark in May 2020, agreeing with Hamilton that their names were too close and would confuse many people.
Hernandez's attorneys attempted to appeal the judgment twice but were unsuccessful.
However, Hamilton ran into difficulties in June 2021 when he forgot to re-register his trademark, which was eventually invalidated.
SIX9 then filed a new applicationand contacted 6ix9ine's lawyer to notify him that they were infringing on his trademark and that they either stop using it or seek a license directly from him.
However, on June 21, Hernandez's lawyer notified the USPTO that the SIX9 trademark had been canceled.
Hamilton claims Hernandez's counsel falsely said that the probability of confusion was now "moot" due to the cancellation of the SIX9 trademark, and that Hernandez's lawyer's deception breached a condition in the application.
The 6ix9ine mark was published in July 2021 as a result of the alleged falsehood.
SIX9 is requesting that the rival rapper cease using the brand on clothes, music, and other products indefinitely.
Hamilton is seeking real damages as well as all profits made by 6ix9ine as a result of utilizing the infringing brand.
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