A judge has ruled that the financial services company didn't violate any laws when it used the 'AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted' rapper's lyrics from his 1992 hit.
- Sep 22, 2021
AceShowbiz - Ice Cube has lost once again in his lawsuit against Robinhood. The "AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted" rapper, who sued the financial services company months prior for using his photo and lyrics from "Check Yo' Self" without permission, got his lawsuit dismissed with prejudice by a court.
Judge Laurel Beeler first sided with Robinhood back in June. However, Cube decided to submit an amended complaint, leading to court to reconvene. On Monday, September 21, the judge ruled in favor of the company for the second time.
"The amended complaint falls for the same defect found in the original: It does not sufficiently plead an injury in fact because Robinhood's use of Ice Cube's image and phrase does not suggest Ice Cube's endorsement of Robinhood's product," the judge stated.
Reacting to the judge's decision, Cube told Law360, "You cannot take people’s lyrics and likeness as an endorsement without permission." He further fumed, "This is another example of judges letting big business do whatever they want to us."
A spokesperson for Robinhood, meanwhile, said, "Robinhood will always vigorously defend its reputation against false accusations of wrongdoing." The spokesperson added, "Robinhood Snacks has become one of the most reliable and most read resources of digestible financial news for Robinhood customers and millions more across the globe. We look forward to continuing to provide educational tools and a welcoming platform to democratise finance for all."
Cube filed his lawsuit upon learning his image with John C. McGinley from film "Are We Done Yet?" was used in the March 8 edition of Robinhood Snacks newsletter. Underneath the picture it was written, "Correct yourself, before you wreck yourself," referring to his 1992 hit "Check Yo Self".
Robinhood itself has previously insisted that the company did nothing wrong. "No, we didn't use his image without permission," the company told TMZ at that time. "The image was licensed and used for non-commercial, editorial purposes in connection with a blog article."
