OutKast has filed a lawsuit against EDM duo ATLiens for trademark infringement. 

According to Rolling Stone, documents cited “improper, willful, unauthorized, and illegal use and registration of the ATLIENS mark” owned by OutKast. ATLiens is the name of the hip-hop duo’s second album, which was released in 1996. The band ATLiens registered for their trademark in 2020, claiming they’ve used the name since 2012.

In the lawsuit, OutKast’s lawyers alleged that the Georgia-based band chose the name “to trade upon the tremendous fame and goodwill associated with Plaintiff’s ATLIENS album, song, and mark, or, at a minimum, to call to consumers’ minds Plaintiff’s famous ATLIENS album, song, and mark.” They added that the competing trademark prevents them from “being able to obtain registrations for its senior ATLIENS mark.”

Attorneys Abigail J. Remore and Peter E. Nussbaum gave a statement to Pitchfork on behalf of High Schoolers LLC and André 3000. “Efforts to resolve this matter amicably were unfortunately unsuccessful and OutKast therefore had to file suit in order to protect the valuable name and trademark ATLIENS that it created and has continuously used for nearly 30 years,” they said.

In May, André opened up about his relationship with Big Boi and has shared his thoughts on the possibility of a new OutKast album. “We cool, man. That’s my homie forever. We were friends before doing music. People always ask about me and Big Boi,” he said during an interview with Hanif Abdurraqib for Bitter Southerner. “People ask, so will there be another OutKast album? I really can’t say, man. I do realize that our chemistries have changed. We’re different people. We’re totally different people.”

André continued, “Not to say that we won’t be able to make any kind of music, but I think, yeah, people have to realize, like even in relationships, man, husband and wife, chemistry should change after a while. And I think people think there’s this one thing that has to stay away, but we are ever-changing, man.”