Outkast has filed a trademark-infringement action against rapper and producer Ovrkast, alleging that his name is nearly indistinguishable from theirs.
The duo maintains that Ovrkast reneged on an earlier agreement to modify his stage name.
In a complaint filed in a federal court in Atlanta, André 3000 and Big Boi accuse the California-based artist, whose real name is Silas Wilson, of "knowingly, wilfully, intentionally, and maliciously" trying to link himself to Outkast.
"Defendant’s unauthorised use of the nearly identical Ovrkast mark has already damaged and will continue to damage plaintiff," lawyers for the pair wrote in the complaint, obtained by Billboard.
Outkast’s lawyers say they sent Wilson a cease-and-desist more than a year ago, demanding he change the name. After talks, he agreed to switch it to Overkxst, a change the duo approved. But he never completed the switch.
In a Tuesday Instagram post, Ovrkast commented on the lawsuit, "I thought it was love?", tagging André 3000 and Big Boi in the caption.
Outkast notes that Ovrkast himself has acknowledged that the similarities in names can confuse fans. In a Rolling Stone interview last year, the producer admitted, "The worst thing I get is like, ‘The ni**a think he Outkast.’ They read Ovrkast Outkast. They’re like, oh my God, I thought they said Outkast. And it’s like, it don’t."
The Hey Ya pair previously sued an electronic dance music duo calling itself ATLiens, the same name as one of its best-known songs. That case settled in February on confidential terms.
