50 Cent suing Taco Bell for $1M

NEW YORK, July 24 (UPI) -- U.S. hip-hop artist 50 Cent is suing Taco Bell for $1 million in damages for allegedly using his name in ads without his permission.

"Taco Bell traded on the name of the world's biggest hip-hop star to draw attention to its new, hip-hop-based advertising campaign, and thereby generated massive publicity for its business," the New York Daily News said the lawsuit claims.

The rapper, whose real name is Curtis Jackson, said he never gave the fast-food chain permission to use his moniker in ads that ask him to change his name from 50 Cent to 79 Cent, 89 Cent or 99 Cent.

Jackson said the ads infringe on his trademark name and have made him the target of online ridicule of people who say he has sold out because they think he sanctioned the ads, the Daily News said.