When Dave Hester began his involvement in the reality show Storage Wars, in which he bids on items from many a seized storage unit, we imagine the last thing that he was expecting to do was cross swords with another celebrity over his signature “YUUUP” catchphrase. Nevertheless, last year, Mr. Hester received a letter from the lawyer of “Trey Songz”, a prolific rapper and singer, demanding that he cease using the phrase “YUUUP” during the Storage Wars show, and in addition, stop placing it on merchandise that he was selling.
Of course, storage wars is a show that is not at all related to Trey Songz, as the show focuses on the auction of items from many a storage unit that have been seized due to non-payment, no matter what kind of storage it is, whether traditional storage or car storage. During practically any segment of the show in which Mr. Hester was involved, he could be seen using his catchphrase to commit his bid on a storage unit.
Regardless of Dave Hester’s use in Storage Wars bidding on boat storage and other storage units, Trey Songz believed that he was the true owner of the “YUUP” catchphrase, since he had been using it for many years at concerts and the like. In addition, he had been using the catchphrase on his own merchandise since the year 2009.
After receiving the cease & desist notice from Trey Songz’s lawyers, Mr. Hester decided to file a lawsuit, to which Songz, of course, responded with a countersuit. Dave Hester’s argument was that his catchphrase was different, saying that the Songz version was more like an animal squeal than his. Songz, however, wanted to get rid of the trademark registration that Hester had made on the catchphrase, and he also wanted to keep Hester from selling any more merchandise, such as clothing related to his car storage and boat storage buying antics on storage wars.
Thankfully, though, as of the 25th of June, Trey Songz and Dave Hester have settled their lawsuits out of court under undisclosed terms. We at Chelton Self Storage hope that Dave Hester will continue being able to use his catchphrase, which continues to spike interest in car storage, boat storage, and practically any kind of self storage needs that people might have. The impact of the show storage wars is too often underestimated by most people, but we believe the attention it brings is both tangible and positive.
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