PHILADELPHIA – 50 Cent (search) is suing a car dealer over advertisements that he said used his trademarked name without permission.
The rapper — born Curtis James Jackson III — describes himself in the lawsuit as "a hugely popular and extremely successful hip-hop music artist ... known for his good looks, `gangsta' image and hard knocks success story."
The lawsuit, filed in federal court Friday, seeks more than $1 million from Gary Barbera Enterprises, which used the slogan "Just Like 50 Says!" and the 29-year-old artist's picture in a print advertisement for a Dodge Magnum.
Barbera marketing director Eric Gerstein said Tuesday that 50 Cent had recorded a radio station spot promoting the station's giveaway of a Barbera Magnum.
The print ad paraphrased the radio spot, Gerstein said. The dealership explained its position to 50 Cent representatives in May and believed the matter was closed, he said.
The 29-year-old musician, born in New York, now lives in Connecticut.
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