Wed 13 Feb, 2008
Yoko Ono Suing Lennon Murphy for Using Her Own Name
Filed under: Lennon Murphy, Yoko OnoTags: Law Suits
The music business can be a dirty game, especially when there is sentimentality involved. One such case is the news that Yoko Ono has decided to file a lawsuit against an up and coming artist named Lennon Murphy for using…get this…her own name.
When Murphy was signed to Arista Records in 2000 (Sony BMG), she and her A&R people requested Ono’s blessing to use “Lennon” as her stage name. In 2003 Murphy was granted official trademark ownership of the name, but now, just before the registration is scheduled to expire,
Ms. Ono has is challenging this ownership, claiming that Murphy was causing confusion amongst the John Lennon fans by using the name. How very mean and petty of Ono.
In a distressed statement to her fans Lennon Murphy had this to say:
“8 long hard years pass and no one says a word. Just 2 days before the statue of limitations was up this very same lawyer we went to in 2000 filed their complaint. Accusing me of falsely representing myself and causing confusion in the market place that has damaged to the John Lennon name.
I’m not sure what confusion I could be causing since I don’t have the $50,000 to hire a lawyer and fight this. If people were confusing me with John Lennon and accidently buying my records I should have more than enough money to live my life and hire a lawyer? I wish that was the case. I haven’t worked since Oct. 2007, so I live on just enough to get through the months until I get back on the road. I have no idea what I’m going to do yet in this situation, and I’m stressed, angry, and scared.
…That’s who I am. I’m pissed and hurt that someone in Yoko’s position has nothing better to do than f@%k with my life…”
I feel for Murphy, who doesn’t seem to have the resources necessary to contend with a powerhouse like Yoko Ono whose resources are practically unlimited. The good news for Murphy is that while this ordeal is troubling and scary, it could work in her favor by increasing her record sales and general visibility. The trademark department might also see fit to completely dismiss Yoko Ono’s ridiculous claim. It’s not like Lennon Murphy appropriated the name…Lennon is after, all her birth name.
Hopefully this will all work out for Lennon Murphy. She just needs to remember that controversy is always good for an entertainment career, even when it’s scary
Check out the 7 Dumb Things About Yoko Ono Suing Lennon Murphy
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