Nation band Woman A has submitted a lawsuit around trademark rights against a blues singer who makes use of the exact same name.
In June, the band — beforehand known as Lady Antebellum — changed their name “just after a great deal personal reflection” and discussions with “closest Black pals” due to the fact the word “Antebellum” refers to a time period of time “which involves slavery,” they said.
A blues singer from Seattle, Clean., however, had now been employing the title for far more than two decades.
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Now, the state trio is getting legal action, according to Billboard, just after the blues singer — whose identify is Anita White — has allegedly created an “attempt to enforce purported trademarks rights in a mark that Plaintiffs have held for additional than a 10 years,” for every the fit, which was acquired by the outlet.
Woman A, beforehand acknowledged as Lady Antebellum, performs at the 53rd Academy of Nation Songs Awards in 2018. (REUTERS/Mike Blake)
Additionally, the match — which was submitted on Wednesday in Nashville’s U.S. District Court docket for the Middle District of Tennessee — reportedly alleges that White and her representation “delivered a draft settlement arrangement that bundled an exorbitant financial desire.” The outlet described that $ten million was the amount of money requested, for every a statement Billboard obtained from the band.
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“Today we are unfortunate to share that our honest hope to be a part of alongside one another with Anita White in unity and typical objective has finished,” the assertion explained. “She and her workforce have demanded a $ten million payment, so reluctantly we have appear to the summary that we have to have to inquire a court docket to affirm our suitable to carry on to use the name Woman A, a trademark we have held for a lot of several years.”
According to Billboard, the suit claims that the team has been applying both monikers — Woman Antebellum and Woman A — interchangeably since all around 2006 or 2007, and that in July 2011, they registered Lady A with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office environment with no opposition.
“Prior to 2020, White did not challenge, in any way, Plaintiffs’ open up, evident, and common nationwide and international use of the Girl A mark as a source indicator for Plaintiffs’ recorded, downloadable, and streaming songs and movies, Plaintiffs’ stay musical performances, or Plaintiffs’ sale of memento items,” the go well with statements, for each the outlet.
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A working day immediately after the title alter was introduced last thirty day period, Rolling Stone revealed an job interview with White, sixty one, who criticized the reasoning at the rear of the adjust.
“This is my existence. Girl A is my model, I’ve employed it for around 20 many years, and I’m very pleased of what I’ve completed,” she stated.
White ongoing: “This is as well substantially ideal now. They are applying the identify mainly because of a Black Life Make a difference incident that, for them, is just a minute in time. If it mattered, it would have mattered to them ahead of. It should not have taken George Floyd to die for them to understand that their identify had a slave reference to it.”
The singer went on to say that “it’s an option for them to faux they are not racist or faux this indicates one thing to them.”
“If it did, they would’ve carried out some investigate. And I’m not satisfied about that. You located me on Spotify effortlessly — why could not they?” White requested the outlet.
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According to the blues singer, the band failed to arrive at out to her prior to earning the swap, which she identified as a show of “pure privilege.”
“I’m not likely to lay down and enable this take place to me,” she additional. “But now the burden of proof is on me to verify that my title is, in fact, mine, and I don’t even know how much I’ll have to commit to hold it.”
At the time, a rep for the band told Rolling Stone that the trio was not mindful of White and that they also planned on achieving out to her. And the next 7 days, the group disclosed that they, in truth, experienced reached out.
“Today, we linked privately with the artist Girl A,” the band wrote on Instagram along with a screenshot of a video clip chat. “Clear, honest and authentic conversations were experienced. We are fired up to share we are shifting ahead with optimistic remedies and typical floor. The harm is turning into hope. More to occur.”
Reps for both equally artists have not responded to Fox News’ requests for comment.
Fox News’ Mariah Haas and Jessica Napoli contributed to this report, as very well as The Related Press.
