Hugo filed a lawsuit against Williams earlier this year, alleging that he had violated their trademark agreement over The Neptunes' name

Pharrell Williams has said he is no longer on speaking terms with his former Neptunes production partner Chad Hugo.

He revealed that the two no longer speak to each other in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, after an interviewer asked about the pair's relationship since Hugo filed a lawsuit against Williams earlier this year. It alleged that the latter had "fraudulently" tried to take sole control of the trademark agreement associated with The Neptunes' name.

Addressing their rift, Williams added: "But I love him, and I always wish him the absolute best, and I'm very grateful for our time together."

Hugo filed the lawsuit against Williams in April of this year, accusing his long-time collaborator of attempting to monopolise the naming rights of their former joint alias without consulting him. This, Hugo's lawyers alleged, would be in contradiction of their existing agreement that all rights be split equally.

Responding to the lawsuit earlier this year, a representative for Williams said the artist was "surprised" by the legal action and had "reached out on multiple occasions to share in the ownership and administration of the trademark".

Williams and Hugo formed The Neptunes in 1992, and also worked together as part of the project N.E.R.D. from 1994. Together, they produced songs for the likes of Kelis, Britney Spears, Jay-Z, Nelly, Beyoncé, Justin Timberlake and many others.

Williams is set to be the focus of a new LEGO film chronicling his life, which will feature Daft Punk, with whom he collaborated on their 2013 album, 'Random Access Memories'.