Posted by Ice Cube’s second attempt at suing popular stock trading app Robinhood has resulted in another loss for the N.W.A legend — and this time, with prejudice.
According to CMU, a judge ruled Robinhood didn’t violate any laws when they used Ice Cube’s likeness for last year’s Robinhood Snacks’ “Correct yourself before you wreck yourself” campaign, a play on his lyrics from the 1993 classic “Check Yo Self.”
Ice Cube won’t be able to file again either for the alleged infringement of his trademark and publicity rights. Judge Laurel Beeler made her decision on Monday (September 20) after originally dismissing the case in June, explaining at the time using Cube’s photo didn’t make it seem like he was endorsing the company.
“The amended complaint falls for the same defect found in the original,” Beeler said. “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.”
Everythang’s Corrupt: Ice Cube Takes L In Robinhood Lawsuit
But Ice Cube begged to differ, telling Law360, “You cannot take people’s lyrics and likeness as an endorsement without permission. This is another example of judges letting big business do whatever they want to us.”
A Robinhood spokesperson fired back and said, “Robinhood will always vigorously defend its reputation against false accusations of wrongdoing. 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 democratize finance for all.”