An American court has elected to fine Thai-British musician Chulachak “Hugo” Chakrabongse USD15,000 for using a moniker already claimed by New York-based recording artist Jon “Hugo” Ungar.
Hugo (of the Thai variety) is a singer and songwriter signed to the Roc Nation label. He has met with respectable success within Thailand, where his album Old Tyme Religion, and a well-received cover/reimagining of Jay-Z’s “99 Problems” have granted him a sizable celebrity.
Earlier this week, Hugo released a video with MTV Exit, in which he sets his opposition to human trafficking to music.
US Hugo sued Thai Hugo late last year, claiming that he (American Hugo) had trademarked the stage name well before Thai Hugo ever began using it.
Earlier this week, an American court decided to side with Hugo of the American variety, despite the fact that US Hugo’s fame far from eclipsed that of his Thai doppelgänger.
“The final verdict was that I was fined $15,000,” said Thai Hugo in an interview with the Bangkok Post. “I did not appeal because the cost for the process would be equivalent to the fine. So far, the label has agreed to pay the fee because I currently don’t have the cash.”
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