Eazy-E's Widow & Son Reportedly Settle Legal Battle Over N.W.A's Name

BYAron A.11.6K Views
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UNSPECIFIED - CIRCA 1990: Photo of NWA & Eazy-E
Eric Wright Jr. loses his legal battle against Tomica Woods-Wright.

Last year, Ruthless Records, which is currently run by Eazy-E's widow, Tomica Woods-Wright, sued the late rapper's son over his use of the N.W.A. trademark. Tomica claimed that he was trying to illegally monetize off of Eazy-E's brand. Today, they've finally come to an agreement but unfortunately, it didn't work out favorably for Eric.

The Blast reports that Eric Wright Jr. and Tomica Woods-Wright have finally come to an agreement in their lawsuit over the use of N.W.A.'s name. Unfortunately for Eric, he's prohibited from using "N.W.A.," "Straight Outta Compton" or "Ruthless" in any of his business endeavors. According to their deal, he agreed that it would only cause confusion to fans if he used those trademarks. However, Tomica is allowing Eazy-E's son to use the mark "Rich & Ruthless."

Tomica, who began running Eazy-E's Ruthless Records after his death, sued Eric Wright Jr. and N.W.A Entertainment. In the lawsuit, Ruthless claimed themselves as the owner of the trademarks related to the label and N.W.A. for merchandise and music purposes. They claimed Eazy's son was attempting to make it seem like N.W.A. Entertainment was the owner of the Ruthless trademarks. Additionally, Ruthless claimed Eazy-E's son's made public statements that were false and misleading.

Ultimately, the case was ruled in Tomica's favor. She demanded an injunction that prohibited Eric Wright Jr. from using their trademark. He later filed a countersuit against Ruthless Records/Comptown Records and demanded that Tomica's trademark that related to his father would be void in court. He additionally claimed that she didn't own the trademark and abandoned the rights to the trademark after she allegedly failed to use them. 


About The Author
Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years. Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021. Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.
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