On Apr 7, 11:21am, you proclaimed:
} >From the cyberdesk of: Jon Drukman
} >>I was wondering just how legal it is to use a registered trademark for
} >>a band name...
} >You can't copyright a title. I can call my record Like A Virgin or
} >Sparcstation-2 and neither Madonna nor Sun can sue me. Now, if I made
} >a competing product with the same name, they might have a case.
}
} So what was the deal with Negativland's "U2" album?
} Why did they lose the case or get shafted in the settlement, Jon?
}
} However, this particular case may have fallen under the "competing product
} issue.
The main thing that brought them to Island's attention was the fact
that the cover made it look like the new U2 single, not the new
Negativland single, and because U2 were about to release a new single
from an upcoming album they really didn't like that. If you have the
cover, you'll see in a huge uncompromising take-no-prisoners font
"U2", and at the bottom a small "Negativland". When Island found
out about this (I think irate U2 fans were calling in complaining about
how bad the new "u2" song was! :) they also found the uncleared song
samples, and threatened to shut SST down. The out of court settlement
was around 80K, or so, which SST heaped onto Mark Hosler & gang...
Both sides admit that had the cover been different, none of this
probably would have happened. The thing preventing it from being
repressed was Casey Kasem's parallel suit over the cuss-filled samples
of his voice.
} So what exactly can the KLF/Jimmy/Bill do about "Wanda Dee and the
} KLF" roaming about? Is a trademark a trademark a trademark....
Nothing if they don't pay their lawyers enough. You KNOW if it
was "Wanda Dee and U2" going around, she'd be sharing a cell in
Ireland with the Kray twins :)
} ObIDM: Keep an eye out for my new single "Coca-Cola" w/ "McDonald's" on
} the flip side. Sure, I won't get a nasty letter from some lame lawyer-type
} on retainer trying to justify his fee......
Last I heard AT&T were trying to copyright the logo "You Will".
Sheesh.
Brian