R&B crooner Trey Songz is in the midst of a legal battle with reality TV star Dave Hester over the usage of the singer’s “Yuuup” signature catchphrase.
According to reports, Hester (of the A&E series “Storage Wars”) was served with a “cease and desist” from the singer’s lawyer, ordering him to immediately stop uttering the word during the show. Songz is also requesting that Hester stop selling merchandising that displays the “Yuuup” slogan that Songz has claimed to be his signature sound since 2009.
In response, Hester has filed suit against the R&B star, arguing that Trey’s usage of the word is very different from the way he says it. According to Hester’s lawsuit, he claims that Songz’ version “resembles an animal-like or non-human squeal which begins with a distinct ‘yeeee’ sound before finishing with a squeal-like ‘uuuup’ sound.”
The court documents continue to explain that Songz’ version is “distinct and different from Hester’s more monosyllabic sounding guttural auction bidding phrase … which is meant to convey the meaning of ‘yes.’ ” In other words, Hester’s use of the phrase is simply his way of saying “yes,” unlike Songz.
Hester is seeking unspecified damages and a court order preventing Songz from interfering with his usage of the phrase, which Hester claims to have trademarked back in September.
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