Ice Cube sued Robinhood for using her image without permission to promote their brand. The Robinhood stock trading app took a number of L’s this year as it found itself in the midst of user reviews. However, they came out victorious this week after a lawsuit against them brought by rapper Ice Cube was dismissed. The lawsuit, which was filed in March, claimed the company used the rapper’s / actor’s face and signature – “Check Yo ‘Self” – in an unauthorized promotion for the company’s news platform , Robinhood Snacks. A judge dismissed the suit for lack of quality. The complaint was filed when, in a blog post, the company used an image of Ice Cube with the caption “Correct yourself before you destroy yourself”. The actor argued that the caption was too similar to his “Check Yo ‘Self” line, and that his likeness was used without his consent. His team claimed that the illegal endorsement was a ground for economic harm.
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Robinhood denied any wrongdoing, stating instead that the reference to Ice Cube did not amount to endorsement: “No, we have not used his image without permission. The image has been licensed and used for non-commercial editorial use as part of a blog post, “according to Arent Fox.
The judge agreed with the trading company, considering that the Ice Cube reference was only an “illustration of an article on market corrections …[and did] do not suggest [Ice Cube] approved Robinhood. “
The Ice Cube team responded forcefully, “Calling blatant propaganda for Robinhood’s online trading app and services just” for editorial use “shows someone needs to fire their lawyer at school.”
Ice Cube himself has said Robinhood is “the antithesis of everything he stands for”, calling their services “terrible”.
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