Photo Credit: T.I.’s Instagram
A federal New York judge has issued an injunction preventing T.I. and his team from using the title “Situationships” for their upcoming film.
T.I. has quickly been barred from using the title “Situationships” for his upcoming project after a trademark battle ensued with another production company. A federal judge has issued an injunction preventing the rapper-producer and his team from using the title.
Featherstone Entertainment, founded by Cylla Senii, sued T.I.’s Grand Hustle Films over the use of the word “Situationships,” for which it filed for a trademark in 2023. All told, Featherstone has been using the name since 2015 for a web series, book, and screenplay.
According to Featherstone, Grand Hustle did not respond to their requests to cease use of the name, leading to the lawsuit. Court documents reveal that Grand Hustle even attempted to trademark “Battle of the Situationships” and “City of Situationships,” but the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office rejected at least one of those applications due to Featherstone’s existing trademark.
Despite discussions with Featherstone, Grand Hustle evidently continued filing new trademark applications using the word “Situationships.” Ultimately, Featherstone formally filed a lawsuit.
It took little time for the presiding judge to side with Featherstone, ruling that the company was likely to succeed in its trademark claim and would also likely suffer harm if Grand Hustle continued to use the name. The court issued an injunction preventing T.I. and his team from producing, promoting, or distributing any content under the name or one similar.
Further, the order requires Grand Hustle Films to remove the name from any and all promotional materials, websites, and products, while also preserving all documents related to the project. According to T.I., the title of the project was never finalized, and his production company has not used the term “Situationships” within the last several months.
However, despite the injunction, the case remains open. It’s worth noting that the ruling only prevents T.I. and his company from using the term in question amid the ongoing dispute.
Ironically, in its initial filing, Featherstone cited T.I.’s own intellectual property lawsuit win against MGA from earlier this year. Senii called out T.I.’s “engaging in the same conduct he fought so vigorously to protect himself from.” That case is fast heading for a retrial, while T.I. and his wife face unrelated new sex trafficking allegations.
