Don’t Mess With The Waffle House: Rapper Loses Battle Over Use of Logo

11 years ago view-show 7,022,169


The restaurant chain, The Waffle House, has filed a cease and desist order against the Tennessee based, rapper/producer JellyRoll in regards to the use of their logo for the emcee’s latest mixtape Whiskey, Weed, and Waffle House.
This is a story that more reflects The Waffle House’s lack of sh*t to do than JellyRoll’s flouting of the legal statutes regarding trademark infringement. Who the hell even knows how news of this mixtape made it to the corporate headquarters of The Waffle House in Atlanta, GA? I wouldn’t even know about it if HipHopDX wouldn’t have reported on it. Do you think they have a dedicated intern just scouring the internet for signs of logo misuse? Has someone attempted to name their strip club Waffle Hoes? Who knows? Maybe Waffle House should be slightly more focused on cleaning the inside of their restaurant rather than who is using their logo. Also, Waffle House should take a cue from the other concerned trademark in this case. You’ll notice the cover of the album also features a Crown Royal bottle, and as of right now the whiskey company hasn’t protested in the slightest. Maybe it’s because only their image was used and maybe it’s because they’re just a more laid back and chill company. All I know is Crown Royal is better than the Waffle House and they aren’t mad.

This isn’t the first time that the music industry and corporate world have collided over brand usage. 311 had to stop selling t-shirts featuring a logo that was reminiscent of the 7 Eleven logo. Warren G and Garth Brooks famously fought over the use of a lower case g as a logo. Philip Morris recently filed a similar order against label Stones Throw because a cassette tape mixtape looked too much like a pack of Marlboros. Drake took the other side and sued clothing companies over their use of his coined phrase “YOLO.” Perhaps the weirdest example of this situation is outside the music realm, but Spike Lee filed an injunction against Spike TV for the use of his adopted first name. As long as there’s money to be made there will be lawsuits to file and JellyRoll had to learn that the hard way.

If you’re unfamiliar with JellyRoll, watch this video. He’s a fat guy from Tennessee with ICP level wordplay and Bubba Sparxxx level waistline. Enjoy and look forward to his new mixtape, Whiskey, Weed, and (unnamed waffle chain restaurant made popular due in large part to it’s low prices and high caloric content. Lawsuit pending.) The alliteration is sh*t, but it won’t get you sued.