#Rick ross hustlin dirty professional
#Rick ross hustlin dirty free

When did RobertsвЂ™ use of RossвЂ™ likeness become transformative? When he signed a record deal? When he scored a hit single? As law professor Shaun Martin notes, вЂњitвЂ™s a very difficult line to draw between вЂderivativeвЂ™ and вЂtransformativeвЂ™ works.вЂќДЇiguring out where to draw that line is a question for another day (and another lawsuit). But it also leaves certain questions unanswered. The opinion is entertaining-itвЂ™s not every day you see judges using the word вЂњhustlinвЂ™вЂќ-and does a good job of grappling with a difficult question.

#Rick ross hustlin dirty professional

The court acknowledged that Roberts may have вЂњinitially gained some exposure through use of the name Rick Ross and the reputation it carried.вЂќ But the court noted that вЂњt defies credibility to suggest that Roberts gained success primarily from appropriation of plaintiffвЂ™s name and identity, instead of from the music and professional persona that he. Rather, he made music out of fictional tales of dealing drugs and other exploits some of which related to plaintiff.вЂќ In other words, вЂњsing the name and certain details of an infamous criminalвЂ™s life as basic elements, he created original artistic works.вЂќ The court explained that Roberts вЂњwas not simply an imposter seeking to profit solely off the name and reputation of Rick Ross. To that end, the California Supreme Court has observed that you can use another personвЂ™s likeness if your use is вЂњtransformativeвЂќ-that is, if it вЂњ adds new expression.вЂќДЄgainst this backdrop, the appellate court held that Roberts did not violate RossвЂ™ right of publicity because RobertsвЂ™ use of RossвЂ™ identity was transformative. Courts have held that the right to prevent people from using your likeness must be balanced against the right of self-expression under the First Amendment. The right of publicity is not unlimited, however. may apply to the use of virtually anything that evokes identity.вЂќ For example, a federal appellate court famously found that a company violated Vanna WhiteвЂ™s right of publicity by dressing a robot in a вЂњwig, gown and jewelryвЂќ and posing the robot вЂњnext to a Wheel-of-Furniture-like game board.вЂќ The вЂњ right of publicityвЂќ gives you the right вЂњto control the commercial use of name, image, likeness, or other unequivocal aspects of identity.вЂќ The right вЂњhas been traditionally understood to apply only to the use of a personвЂ™s name or likeness.вЂќ However, California вЂњcourts have expanded the scope of the right. While behind bars, Ross learned that Roberts was using the name вЂњRick Ross.вЂќ When he left jail, Ross filed suit, alleging that Roberts violated his right to publicity. This time, RobertsвЂ™ notoriety didnвЂ™t escape RossвЂ™ attention. Roberts scored a hit with the song вЂњHustlin.вЂ™вЂќ ( Sample lyrics: вЂњEveryday IвЂ™m hustlinвЂ™вЂќ-repeated 20 times.) His newly adopted stage name? Rick Ross.ДЄs Ross (the cocaine dealer) sat behind bars, Roberts (the rapper) rose to fame. Acknowledging that RossвЂ™ life story вЂњ grabbed him,вЂќ Roberts left his job as a correctional officer, and starting rapping about dealing cocaine. RossвЂ™ notoriety did not escape the attention of William Leonard Roberts II. In the process, he became вЂњthe subject of numerous television shows focusing on his erstwhile criminal empire.вЂќ

#Rick ross hustlin dirty free

Ross proceeded to: uncover a ring of вЂњdirty copsвЂќ from behind bars help free 120 wrongly convicted people earn early release from jail get arrested again for-what else-dealing cocaine become entangled in the Iran-Contra scandal and then earn his release again. Ross вЂњ organized and ran a vast cocaine-dealing enterpriseвЂќ in the 1980s, selling вЂњas much as $3 million worth of cocaine a day.вЂќ He вЂњ eventually amassed a fortune worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.вЂќДЄs sometimes happens when you sell $2.5 billion of an illegal drug-thatвЂ™s вЂњbillionвЂќ with a вЂњbвЂќ-Ross was arrested and convicted of drug trafficking.

But before revealing who prevailed (hint: it was a Ross), some background on the Ross v. Or as one person wrote: вЂњRick Ross sued Rick Ross for being Rick Ross.вЂќДЄ recent California appellate decision settled the dispute. Ross (the cocaine dealer) alleged that Ross (the rapper) misappropriated his name and likeness for his own financial benefit. Rick Ross is famous for rapping about cocaine. California gives you the right to profit from your own identity.