A lawsuit against rapper Rick Ross and other defendants for allegedly profiting off a name and image was dismissed earlier this month in Los Angeles by a judge in the United States District Court for Southern California.
 
According to news reports, the plaintiff, "Freeway" Ricky Ross, was convicted of running a drug empire that covered Los Angeles in the 1980s and 1990s. He became nationally known when he was linked to the CIA's "Iran-Contra" political scandal and had been the object of scorn for many prominent politicians.
 
Earlier this year, the incarcerated drug dealer Freeway Ricky Ross filed a lawsuit against the rapper seeking $10 million for alleged infringement on Freeway Ricky's intellectual property rights, including trademark violations, unfair competition and misappropriation of his publicity rights.  The case against rapper Rick Ross (born William Roberts Leonard II) and rap mogul Jay-Z was dismissed, despite the rapper’s concession that he did derive his stage name from the infamous drug kingpin.
 
The official verdict for the case's dismissal: "In support of his trademark claims, Plaintiff alleges that his name was well known in the drug trade and by law enforcement segments of the urban crime, rap and black [community] because he did business as Rick Ross, until he was arrested, prosecuted and incarcerated in federal prison. This illegal activity ... [does] not provide support for Plaintiff having a valid trademark for his name." 
 
—Source:  Torontosun.com