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Rapper Ice Cube sues Robinhood over unauthorized use of his likeness in the Northern District of California. The lawsuit is about a March 8th ad titled “Why are Tech Stocks Falling?” A picture from the 2007 film Are We Done Yet? that co-starred Ice Cube and John C. McGinley is featured in the post. The image published captioned “Correct yourself, before you wreck yourself,” which is a reference to Ice Cube’s hit “Check Yo Self.”
Freedman & Taitelman LLP are representing Ice Cube in the lawsuit against Robinhood. Filed on Wednesday, Ice Cube accused Robinhood of using his likeness to advertise “dangerous” products and damaging his reputation without his consent. Ice Cube and his team asked for injunctive relief, damages, and attorneys’ fees and costs.
“This blatant theft of Ice Cube’s image and likeness to endorse Robinhood’s dangerous products and services has resulted in substantial damage to Ice Cube,” stated the lawsuit.
Ice Cube alleges that Robinhood is retaliating due to his relationship with business partner and civil rights attorney Jeff Kwatinetz. Kwaitnetz sued Robinhood in a separate lawsuit over Robinhood’s decision to limit GameStop trading with some investors.
“Just as Robinhood’s recent well-known conduct has resulted in Congressional investigations and numerous class action lawsuits, so too has it stolen and diminished the hard-earned image and brand of Ice Cube, one of the most prominent Black voices in America,” the lawsuit noted.
Robinhood denied all accusations in the lawsuit arguing that the picture was legally posted. The company claims that the image was licensed and for non-commercial use.
There are no further developments at this time.
Ice Cube’s legal real name is O’Shea Jackson and he is an American rapper, actor, and filmmaker. Born in Crenshaw, CA, Ice Cube starred in the film Straight Outta Compton and released political rap solo albums that are well-known worldwide.
Robinhood is an American financial services company founded in 2013. The company specializes in commission-free trades of stock and exchange-traded funds. People can access the company via its website and mobile app.
