Bow Wow is finding himself in some legal hot water with Jermaine Dupri’s dad. The father is accusing the rapper of unlawfully using his trademark name, and it’s becoming quite the dramatic showdown.
According to court documents obtained by AllHipHop, Michael Mauldin has been going after Bow Wow since September. This is when he first filed the lawsuit against the 36-year-old and Black Promoters Collective. Mauldin accused both parties of using the trademark “Scream Tour” and then launching a new tour with the same name over the summer of 2023 without his permission. Talk about a legal nightmare!
Reportedly, Mauldin has owned the trademark since 2001, and considering Bow Wow’s close ties with him and Dupri over the years, he asserts that the rapper would have been “unquestionably familiar” with the name and its ownership. It’s like deja vu all over again!
In addition to that, Mauldin mentions that Bow Wow was part of the original Scream Tour line-up. This further indicates, per Mauldin, that the Ohio native should have known the name was already in use. However, it’s unclear if Bow Wow knew about its trademark status. Oops!
To make matters worse, in July, The Black Promoters Collective announced that Bow Wow had acquired an ownership stake in the tour, which they said “he helped to create.” So, it’s getting pretty messy in the legal arena.
The court told Mauldin that he had 90 days to serve Bow Wow with the legal papers after filing the legal docs. But in his motion, filed on Tuesday (December 19), he claims it’s been difficult to get a hold of the ‘Let Me Hold You’ artist. JD’s dad believes Bow Wow is intentionally avoiding service of the complaint. Therefore, he has requested an extension to serve the suit to the father of one. It’s like a game of cat and mouse!
Mauldin’s lawyer, Christopher Chan, who filed the motion on his client’s behalf, wrote, “The extension of time would aid in timely locating and serving defendant, who has been thus far unattainable since the initial filing of the complaint on September 21, 2023, due to the refusal of service by defendant’s counsel and the refusal of service at defendant’s address in Atlanta, Georgia… The extension of time would also prevent further delay in the case by avoiding a dismissal without prejudice and subsequent refiling of the Complaint. The proposed extension of time to serve the Defendant would extend the current deadline from December 20, 2023, to March 19, 2024.” So, it’s like a legal game of hide and seek!
Bow Wow hasn’t responded to the accusations publicly yet. It seems like he’s keeping quiet amidst all the legal drama.
In July, Black Promoters Collective announced that the anticipated return of the Scream Tour 2023 wouldn’t occur in September as expected initially. The event’s organizers stated that they had postponed the Scream Tour 2023: Next Up! and would announce a new date for the rescheduled show in 2024. Talk about a dramatic twist!
Bow Wow and Kayla Nicole were set to host the concert. That Girl Lay Lay, Young Dylan, Rocco Lupo, and Lay Bankz were some of the artists expected to perform on the stage. It’s also unclear whether Mauldin’s lawsuit may have influenced the show’s inability to come to fruition. Nonetheless, Mauldin will reportedly continue to pursue serving Bow Wow with the complaint. It’s like the plot of a legal thriller!
So, it looks like this legal battle is far from over. With allegations of intentional evasion and a postponed tour, it’s safe to say that the drama is just getting started. Stay tuned for the next episode of “The Scream Tour Legal Showdown”!
