Publishers of The Source magazine have taken legal steps to stop rival magazine Hip Hop Weekly, run by former Source co-owners David Mays and Ray "Benzino" Scott.
The Source Enterprises sent a cease and desist notice to the pair on grounds that their publication’s header – which reads in bold above the title "brought to you by the founders of The Source" – is misleading to readers. "It creates some confusion as to whether or not the magazine has an affiliation with The Source," The Source's attorney Andy I. Corea said. "If you saw a restaurant and it had on the sign 'from the creators of the Big Mac, you would have every reason to think the company had an affiliation with McDonald's." The letter also states that Hip Hop Weekly is benefiting from an association with The Source that could possibly dilute The Source brand name.
Benzino and Mays released a statement Thursday responding to the cease and desist letter.
"The fact is that Hip Hop Weekly is a magazine from ‘the creators of The Source,’ which Ray and I developed from a one-page newsletter in 1988 into the biggest-selling music magazine on news stands in the world," said Dave Mays, co-founder of Hip Hop Weekly. "When we left The Source last year, we set out to create a more up-to-date, exciting and faster-paced format that reflects the drastic changes in media and in hip hop in recent years."
"It’s a shame that they just can’t move on, because we are the creators of The Source," said Ray Benzino. "It’s not our fault their magazine looks cracked out."
Added Mays, "No matter how anyone may feel about myself or my partner, the truth is that we made it possible for an urban monthly to sit on newsstands next to other mainstream magazines. We were also the first to show corporate America the tremendous influence and buying power of the hip hop audience. Hip Hop Weekly signals the beginning of a new era in hip hop media, and will lead to a whole new category of magazines over the next few years, just like we did with The Source."
The Source Enterprises sent a cease and desist notice to the pair on grounds that their publication’s header – which reads in bold above the title "brought to you by the founders of The Source" – is misleading to readers. "It creates some confusion as to whether or not the magazine has an affiliation with The Source," The Source's attorney Andy I. Corea said. "If you saw a restaurant and it had on the sign 'from the creators of the Big Mac, you would have every reason to think the company had an affiliation with McDonald's." The letter also states that Hip Hop Weekly is benefiting from an association with The Source that could possibly dilute The Source brand name.
Benzino and Mays released a statement Thursday responding to the cease and desist letter.
"The fact is that Hip Hop Weekly is a magazine from ‘the creators of The Source,’ which Ray and I developed from a one-page newsletter in 1988 into the biggest-selling music magazine on news stands in the world," said Dave Mays, co-founder of Hip Hop Weekly. "When we left The Source last year, we set out to create a more up-to-date, exciting and faster-paced format that reflects the drastic changes in media and in hip hop in recent years."
"It’s a shame that they just can’t move on, because we are the creators of The Source," said Ray Benzino. "It’s not our fault their magazine looks cracked out."
Added Mays, "No matter how anyone may feel about myself or my partner, the truth is that we made it possible for an urban monthly to sit on newsstands next to other mainstream magazines. We were also the first to show corporate America the tremendous influence and buying power of the hip hop audience. Hip Hop Weekly signals the beginning of a new era in hip hop media, and will lead to a whole new category of magazines over the next few years, just like we did with The Source."
