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RZA suing dog walking service 'Woof-Tang Clan'

As well as walking "the illest group of dogs in New York City", the company also offers dog-sitting services

Clarisse Loughrey
Wednesday 22 November 2017 12:21 GMT
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Wu-Tang Clan rapper and producer RZA is suing a Brooklyn dog-walking company for breach of copyright, for naming themselves Woof-Tang Clan.

Court papers state that the Wu-Tang Clan's name and logo were "unmistakably associated" with the group since their formation in Staten Island in 1993, and that a trademark application filed by the Woof-Tang Clan on 8 June is a violation of multiple registrations already owned by them.

Woof-Tang Clan's owner, Marty Cuatchon, told The New York Daily News that he was aware of the trademark challenge, but declined to comment until he could seek legal advice. "I am a fan. We walk dogs. I thought it was a good idea," he said.

As well as walking "the illest group of dogs in New York City", he offers dog-sitting services, with a statement on his website that his staff are "courteous and responsible, as long as we're in agreement that Nas' Illmatic is the greatest album of all time."

His company's website also included merchandising, now removed, that riffed off the band; one t-shirt was printed with a dog named Bali on a blue-and-yellow identification card and called "Old Dirty Bali - Return to the 36 Chambers", a clear reference to Wu-Tang member Old Dirty Bastard's 1995 solo debut, which also featured a yellow-and-blue ID card on its cover.

Cuatchon is not the first to use the name Woof-Tang Clan, which also belongs to an Alaskan sled dog team.

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