{
  "id": 1799130,
  "title": "C+C Music Factory Founder Hits Freedom Williams With $30 Million Trademark and Fraud Lawsuit",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/18/c-c-music-factory-founder-hits-freedom-williams-with-30-million",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-08-18T20:43:36.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Billboard",
    "slug": "billboard",
    "url": "https://www.billboard.com/pro/cc-music-factory-freedom-williams-fraud-lawsuit/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Robert Clivillés, co-founder of C+C Music Factory, has filed a $30 million trademark and fraud lawsuit against rapper Freedom Williams. The lawsuit claims trademark infringement, fraud, and defamation against Williams and his label, Big Mac Entertainment. According to Clivillés, Williams fraudulently obtained the trademark by falsely claiming it belonged to him. Clivillés argues that C+C Music Factory was always controlled by him and his deceased co-founder, David Cole, and that Williams has unfairly profited from the intellectual property since the late 1990s. Williams' attorney asserts the lawsuit has no merit and that Williams is the legal owner of the C+C trademark.",
  "summary": "Robert Clivillés alleges that Williams was only a \"subordinate contributor\" on 1990s hits like “Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now).\"",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}