Today in weird music legal disputes: there’s a dog walking service based in Brooklyn, New York which goes by the name of Woof-Tang Clan. Cute. That’s a cute name. But Wu-Tang Clan member RZA is not best pleased with the good Wu-Tang name being co-opted for canines without the group’s prior permission (fair enough), and has sued the dog walkers for breach of copyright.
According to the New York Daily News, court papers filed last week stated that the name and logo of Wu-Tang Clan have been “unmistakably associated” with Woof-Tang Clan, who applied to trademark their name back in June. Woof-Tang Clan offer dog-walking and dog-sitting services in Manhattan and, according to NYDN, had advertised merch with cute dogs photoshopped over iconic Wu-Tang artwork which… doesn’t always work out well on these internet streets.
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The business is owned by Marty Cuatchon, who declined to comment on the legalities of the situation, but told the New York Daily News he was aware of RZA’s trademark issue. “I am a fan,” he said. “We walk dogs. I thought it was a good idea.” Next time, check with a lawyer first. Then again, maybe RZA should follow in the footsteps of Big Boi from Outkast (who, lest we forget, owns a dog shampoo), and invest in Woof-Tang Clan instead.
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