50 Cent has taken Taco Bell to court after the fast food company used his name in an advertising campaign without his permission.
In a lawsuit 50 accuses the chain of “diluting the value of his good name” by using it in conjunction with its 79-89-99 Cent Why Pay More campaign, thereby fooling customers into thinking he had endorsed the franchise.
In an open letter widely published in June (08), Taco Bell bosses offered to make a $10,000 (£5,000) donation to a charity of 50 Cent’s choice if he agreed to change his name for one day. They stipulated he must stop by one of the chain’s restaurants and rap his order at the drive-thru window – using a new moniker: 79 Cent, 89 Cent or 99 Cent.
50’s court documents read
“As Taco Bell intended, many customers believed that 50 Cent had agreed to endorse Taco Bell’s products. Indeed, postings on numerous Internet ‘blogs’ castigated 50 Cent for ’selling out’ by his apparent endorsement of Taco Bell.”
