Blood isn’t always thicker than the ink used to print money. Tomica Woods-Wright, Eazy-E’s widow, is suing Lil Eazy-E for trademark infringement over the Ruthless Records name.
Tomica, who has owned the rights to the iconic record label since Eazy’s passing in 1995, alleges that her stepson is unlawfully doing business as Ruthless Records.
According to a suit filed on August 16, Lil Eazy and his business Arnold White run http://www.ruthlessrecordsinc.com. The website sells Ruthless Records branded merchandise and promotes concerts. The site also claims “our old-school outlook mixed with cutting edge technology makes Ruthless Records Inc. a leader in the music business. Eazy-E’s first-born son and longtime friend are carrying on the legacy that started it all.”
This is the not the first time Lil Eazy has tried to lay claim to his father’s legacy without Tomica’s blessings. The suit also states that he sought to trademark “Ruthless Records Inc.” in 2016 but it was rejected due to glaring similarities to Ruthless Records. Additionally, she maintains their corporation NWA-LLC also infringes on the N.W.A. brand name.
In 2016 Eazy-E’s daughter Ebie announced a Kickstarter funded documentary titled A Ruthless Scandal: No More Lies that would explore the rumors of her father being murdered. She also alleges she does not receive any monies from the estate which is controlled by Tomica.
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Photo: screen cap
