Bon Jovi Prepares Legal Action Against Cover Band
The website Undercover.com.au has reported the following about apparent legal action from Bon Jovi against a cover band titled Blonde Jovi:
A legal letter from the law firm Blakely Sokoloff Taylor & Zafman to the girl group Blonde Jovi has surfaced and states, “It has recently come to our attention that your band is using the mark and name BLONDE JOVI in connection with live musical performances; more specifically, a Bon Jovi tribute band. Our investigation also uncovered that you are using BJP’s “Heart and Dagger” Logo trademark prominently on your website. Unfortunately, and despite the fact that our client appreciates the reverence that your band pays tribute to Bon Jovi, as a tribute band, our client nevertheless is charged with the duty of enforcing its trademark rights. In this regard, BJP cannot allow your band to use the mark and name BLONDE JOVI (or any other BJP trademarks), as such use creates a likelihood of confusion with our client, and capitalizes on the goodwill and reputation of its well-known marks."
Blonde Jovi issued the following statement about changing their name after receiving the letter:
"Due to threatened legal action by Jon Bon Jovi's attorneys, we will be changing our name. The name BLONDE JERSEY is temporary, until we come up with a new one. If you have any name suggestions, please email us! Nothing containing JOVI, or anything similar to JOVI may be used so BLONDE GIOVI, BLONDE JOE V, BLONDE JOVIE, are not options. Thanks for your support!
"To clarify: Our name for the past year & a half has been BLONDE JOVI. We have temporarily changed it to BLONDE JERSEY until we figure something out.
"Too bad we didn't go with our original name idea of BOOB JOVI!"
Read the full article at Undercover.com.au.
Source: Undercover.com.au
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36 Comments on "Bon Jovi Prepares Legal Action Against Cover Band"
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8. writes:
Covering the music and the name Blonde Jovi is not what got them in trouble. They went to far by appropriating the heart and dagger trademark and presenting it as their own.
Still, it begs the question: Why you gotta be such a d***, BJ? You have multiple millions; these chicks are playing for pennies. Let em have some fun.
11. writes:
No one is going to confuse an all girl band called Blonde Jovi with Bon Jovi. Tons of other bands have tributes and they embrace them. Iron Maiden (The Iron Maidens) ACDC (ACDshe) Cheap Trick (Cheap Chick) etc. Tribute bands are good for the band and good for the fans.
I think it's retarded that they got a letter from the lawyers. Maybe if they were on a big tour making tons of money, but they're playing at Paladinos. It's a total dive bar. I'm with the girls on this one.
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16. writes:
if i was famous enough that someone wanted to cover my music i'd let them, why the hell not right? that's more people hearing my music and even when it comes to logos and stuff, sure they could use it but proper tribute would have to be given to me (or whoever came up with it). i guess whatever he has to do to feel he's protected his sh**ty work and makes him happy.
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18. writes:
At face value, this sounds awful. However, as owner of a trademark, JBJ had to do this to protect his trademark. Basically, the letter from the attorney had to be filed regardless whether or not Bon Jovi personally cared what the band did or was named. Of course it makes him look like a jerk, but first and foremost music is a business and JBJ is an excellent business man. A trademark is an asset of his business and as an owner of a trademark it is his responsibility to protect it. When a letter like this is written from an attorney, it has to include certain words, phrases and language to make it legal in case his trademark is seriously challenged in court. Get over it, guys and look at the big picture.
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22. writes:
Are you sure this is not a leftover from April Fools? Multi millionaires Bon Jovi breaking the balls of a TRIBUTE band trying to eek out a living. What pricks. I'll never listen to Bon Jovi again. Oh, I forgot, I never listened to them anyway... Here is a name idea for the tribute band...Jon Bovi. May not be enough to get around the lawsuit though. How about Bon Bon Jovi (you could throw out chocolates to the crowd), or Onbay Ovijay (Pig Latin). Or how about fighting these d***s in court to show the world what insecure peni they are.
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Former Contributor
28. writes:
Okay, I live in Toledo, Ohio, and all that we have here anymore on weekends at the rock bars are cover bands. There's LiveWire, the ACDC cover band, DRAW THE LINE, the Aerosmith cover band, BATTERY, the metallica cover band, and etc. It's f***in' embarassing. I think it's horsesh** that you can't start a cover band of a sh**ty band anymore without being sued, but really, if you can play that bon jovi crap you need to start a band of your own instead of covering someone else's garbage. If I was in this band, I'd either tell Bon Jovi to f*** off and stick with the name and wait for someone to draw first, thereby tossing the situation into national limelight so everyone on earth can see what a prick bon jovi is, and how little he needs tribute bands, OR I'd change the whole f***in thing and start a original band. f***in' cover bands can go choke on a throat ful of sh** for all I care. It's a waste of talent as far as I'm concerned. Especially when it's a bon jovi cover band. Legalities are legalities, and bon jovi is such a wal-mart WHORE now, that his lawyers are probably waiting for a chance to get some topical notoriety. It's kinda sad, if you think about it. This would make me want to tell bon jovi to f*** off and never play his songs again, which is the way it should be in the first place. Nobody alive should want to play that horrid crap except for Bon Jovi himself, and even THAT's a stretch. This fag's too busy making homes over and sucking off dead dogs to be famous anymore, so he has to crush the little guy. Lars Bon Jovi.
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31. writes:
I find it amusing that over half of the people who commented here missed the whole point. Bon Jovi did NOT sue over the playing of their music by a cover band.
"our client nevertheless is charged with the duty of enforcing its trademark rights. " What part of ENFORCING TRADEMARK RIGHTS did you miss?
Trademark is considered a graphic image or a name. You can not use Coca Cola, Pepsi, or Burger King's trademark legally any more than you can a band's trademark image or name.
You also cannot start a restuarant and use the slogan "Home of the Whopper", because that to is part of Burger King's trademark, so any resemblance to the name "Bon Jovi" is illegally using part of the band's trademark.
Most cover bands will choose a band's song title to use as the name of their band. This lets the crowd know it's a tribute band to a famous group. Had Blonde Jovi chosen a song title instead, I doubt their band name would have been an issue.
Using Bon Jovi's trademark logo on their website is clearly theft of a trademark. They should have came up with their own logo to represent themselves- not one that is synomous with Bon Jovi.
Most of the comments here reflected Bon Jovi as being a prick, because the commenters do not like his music. What if it had been your favorite band's logo being stolen?
It does not matter who your favorite band is, you do not want to see their logo being displayed by a cover band.
I'm a huge Iron Maiden fan. I would not mind seeing an Iron Maiden cover band with the name of "The Trooper", I would however be very upset if the cover band tried to use "Eddie" as part of their image. Eddie is Maiden's mascot and part of their trademark. If I see Eddie, I better see Bruce d***inson and Steve Harris there too.
Now I ask you again, what part of ENFORCING TRADEMARK RIGHTS did you miss?
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36. writes:
I think it's amazing how far some bands they there controlfreak issues. Especially in a case like this where the band was actually a 'tribute' band. Incredible. Then again u never really know if its the band whos treatning someone with a lawsuit or just their management. In many cases the band doesnt even know whats going on. In any case, I agree; "f*** Bon Jovi"
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1. dmasa writes:
f*** bon jovi