Court battle in the rap business: Bushido beats Fler - 137,000 euros in damages for cult album

Image source: Instagram @bush1do
"Carlo Cokxxx hookers" - classics, folding knives and a court ruling
What began as a legendary gangsta rap album ends in court: Bushido has won the long-running trademark dispute with Fler over the cult album "Carlo Cokxxx Nutten" for the time being. The Munich Regional Court ruled in favor of the Berlin rapper on Tuesday and ordered his former music partner Fler to pay 137,000 euros in damages - plus a recall of the fan boxes sold and even the destruction of merchandise, including a controversial leather jacket.
Another chapter in the never-ending rap feud that shows: When it comes to music, money and trademark rights, friendship ends - even with old scene giants.
From the studio to court: how "Sonny Black" and "Frank White" became bitter rivals
Back to 2002: Bushido (real name Anis Ferchichi) and Fler (real name Patrick Losenský) record the album "Carlo Cokxxx Nutten" as "Sonny Black" and "Frank White" - rough, dirty, provocative. Drugs, violence, street: the album becomes a milestone in German rap and catapults both rappers into the limelight.
But what was once brotherhood in the studio is now enmity in court. The rappers have been at odds with each other for years and have faced off several times over insults, threats and trademark disputes. The dispute over the label "Carlo Cokxxx Nutten" is one of the fiercest.
Trademark rights to the knife logo: Bushido wins - Fler to pay and destroy
The current dispute was sparked by fan boxes that Fler had sold through his store - including a leather jacket with the infamous logo: a butterfly knife with the words "Carlo Cokxxx Nutten". Bushido saw this as a clear violation of his trademark rights, which he is said to have secured back in 2007 in an agreement with the Aggro Berlin label - primarily for clothing items.
Fler had always denied this and continued to sell merchandise and CDs under the name. But the Munich Regional Court has now made it clear: Bushido is in the right. The decision:
- Fan boxes must be withdrawn from the market
- The leather jackets with logo are to be destroyed
- Fler must pay 137,000 euros in damages
No conclusion yet: judgment is not final
However, the rapper from Berlin-Mitte is not yet finally defeated - the verdict is not yet legally binding. Fler can appeal and has already made it clear several times that he will not give up without a fight. Last year, there was already a default judgment against him in the same case because he failed to attend the trial - he appealed against this. Now there is a detailed, reasoned judgment.
So it remains to be seen whether Fler will take the next legal step or have to pay. One thing is clear: the matter is not quite over yet - the legal repercussions will probably go into the next round.