50 Cent is suing New York jeweler Maksud Agadjani, owner of TraxNYC, for allegedly making unauthorized replicas of his crucifix chain and using his name and likeness without permission, according to TMZ.
The $5 million lawsuit, trademark infringement and unfair competition in the Southern District of New York court documents claim TraxNYC profited from 50 Cent’s image without his authorization, according to The Wrap.
The Necklace In Question
TraxNYC is known for custom jewelry, celebrity collaborations, and controversial rants, where Agadjani has accused celebrities of misconduct in New York’s diamond district.
Now accused of his own wrongdoing, Agadjani said that the crucifixes he made were symbols of forgiveness and that the lawsuit seems unwarranted, according to TMZ.
It appears that Trax was inspired by 50 Cent’s crucifix in a picture he took with Drake.
Agadjani later offered the same chain design on his popular website to capitalize on the attention a potential project between 50 Cent and Drake might be working on.
“We just jocked your style, I know you watch my videos and now I’m watching your s—t and jocking your s—t just like you jocked my s**t,” Agadjani said in August on TikTok.
TMZ also reported that 50 Cent was made aware of the replica chains and warned Agadjani that “this was a bad idea, you will regret doing this, I promise.”
At the time, Trax, seemingly unfazed, replied back, asking if 50 Cent had “better things to worry about.”
“Mr. Jackson takes the unauthorized use of his name and likeness for commercial purposes seriously,” a rep for the rapper said in a statement.
By selling a replica of 50 Cent’s chain, some might believe that Trax was the one commissioned by the Queens rapper. The G-Unit founder expressed concerns about being affiliated with imitation jewelry.
This is not the first time the rapper took a local business to task in court.
50 Cent’s lawsuit against Miami aesthetician Angela Kogan and her Perfection Plastic Surgery & MedSpa revolved around allegations that Kogan used a photo taken with 50 Cent to falsely imply he had undergone a penis enlargement procedure.
The lawsuit was filed in September 2022, and the case was settled in March 2023 for an undisclosed amount. In fact, 50 Cent also settled a separate case with The Shade Room in February 2023 as part of the same dispute.
