As bands of a certain age and era decide to reignite the flame, legal issues tend to follow. Different version of the band splinter off from the original outfit, each of them claiming to be more genuine than the other, and the issue of the band's name is always a controversial one.
LA Guns, Black Flag, Queensryche, Sugababes and our very own Angels are among the many groups who have suffered from confusion and legal nastiness as members of the group battle over ownership of the original band name.
British space rockers Hawkwind are the latest band to become embroiled in a legal battle with regards to their name, as former member of the band Nik Turner makes a move to register the name Nik Turner's Hawkwind prior to Hawkwind themselves heading out on a big North American tour for the first time in decades.
Prog Rock Magazine reports that the currently operating Hawkwind, of which multi-instrumentalist Dave Brock is the only original member, are concerned that this move might mean Turner is making a play to capture and confuse the fanbase the existing band has developed over time.
“We think it will cause problems for Hawkwind,” their manager Kris Tait told the magazine. “It will confuse fans, promoters and press.
Don't miss a beat with our FREE daily newsletter
“And it could have wider implications – If he succeeds in registering the trademark in the US, it could be very difficult to protect our brand in the UK. He could try to stop us from using the name Hawkwind ourselves in the US, as it would be part of his registered trademark. Maybe the intention is to tie us up in litigation.”
This isn't the first time the band have found themselves in this kind of situation; in the 1990s, Turner began playing shows under the Hawkwind name after Brock had booked a US tour that looked as if it might be profitable.
“The band put a lot of money into building up their US following. When there was finally a tour set up which was going to make a profit, Nik jumped in and undercut the shows,” Tait said of the '90s controversy. “The then manager had to take legal proceedings against Nik and any venue who advertised him as Hawkwind, and that's when the name was registered to Dave.”
While Tait calls Turner's actions “pathetic” and claims he is “cashing in” on Brock's hard work, Tait's attorney Evan S Cohen disagrees.
“Nik Turner was a founding member of Hawkwind, and, according to many sources, was the source of the name of the band,” Cohen said to the same magazine.
“The service mark 'Nik Turner's Hawkwind' is not confusing, nor will it 'cause problems' for Dave Brock's band. Mr Turner is not calling his band 'Hawkwind.' Any fan or consumer who sees an advertisement for 'Nik Turner's Hawkwind' knows exactly what he or she will get: Nik Turner, and not the Dave Brock version.”
Turner left Hawkwind in 1984, after being previously absent from the band from 1976 to 1982.
