Prince, Earth, Wind & Fire, Isley Brothers, And UB40

These hit artists know what happens when use or ownership of a performance name is legally challenged.

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM – OCTOBER 19: Verdine White, Philip Bailey and Ralph Johnson of Earth Wind & Fire perform on stage at the Royal Albert Hall on October 19, 2013 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Christie Goodwin/Redferns via Getty Images)

Redferns

Music business history is littered with legal conflicts surrounding artist names and the commercial rights to utilize them as trademarks. The right to use a given performance name can make the difference between lucrative brand recognition and marketplace oblivion. Past decades have yielded multiple variations on the artist trademark dispute theme as groups split or conflicts with management reveal fatal flaws in legal ownership arrangements.

Issues also arise involving clashes with existing products. The September 2025 lawsuit filed against artist Neil Young for infringing on the Chrome Hearts luxury brand by giving his backing band the same name demonstrates the fervor surrounding this aspect of intellectual property.

Some other relatively recent examples underline the crucial value of music business product identity, and such conflicts expend resources on litigating disputes that might be readily settled out of court or completely avoided.

Prince’s Power

In August 2025, the singer and actress, Apollonia Kotero, filed a trademark lawsuit against the Prince estate in the latest episode of varied legal and business maneuvers following the legendary artist’s 2016 death.

The Prince-created girl group, Apollonia 6 (with its name arising from the ashes of the similar Vanity 6), only scored one hit single when in 1984 “Sex Shooter” reached #19 on the Billboard R&B chart, while only peaking at #85 on the Hot 100. The group’s self-titled debut album stalled at #62. However, its lead singer also co-starred with Prince in the hit 1984 Purple Rain movie, immeasurably raising her public profile.

The former Prince protégé accuses the administrators of preventing her from using her stage name, while the Prince estate counterclaims that that the lawsuit lacks validity because it owns her name’s trademark. According to Billboard magazine, the estate adds that it has not barred Apollonia from using her stage name, although her trademark registration has been cancelled by the United States Patent & Trademark Office. Control of Prince’s estate is currently split between Paisley Park Enterprises and independent music publisher, Primary Wave.

Apart from renaming himself in 1993 as an unpronounceable symbol during a battle over his music with Warner Bros. Records, he also controlled how other artists he developed could use their names.

In 2011, the members of The Time reunited to release a new album. Formed in 1981 and scoring three gold albums, and one platinum disc for 1984’s Ice Cream Castles, the band hoped to capitalize on its pre-existing identity. However, Prince denied the group the rights to use their original name, and they adopted a new moniker as the Original 7ven to avoid unnecessary legal complications.

The band includes hit producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis whose multiplatinum careers were ignited when Prince fired them from The Time in 1983 for conducting unsanctioned outside work with the S.O.S Band, and for missing a live show as a result. That Jam and Lewis project produced the breakthrough hit “Just Be Good To Me,” launching a lucrative production career for the duo that later included major hits for the Human League and Janet Jackson.

Earth, Wind & Fire vs. A Tribute Band

In an especially peculiar trademark lawsuit in 2024, an unauthorized tribute band labeled themselves as “Earth, Wind & Fire Legacy Reunion” for live performances. Featuring sidemen who had briefly played with Earth, Wind & Fire (EWF) in previous line-ups, the tribute act was sued by the holding company, Earth, Wind & Fire IP, which licenses the authentic band’s operation. That company is controlled by the sons of group founder, Maurice White, who died in 2016 aged 74.

Remarkably in 2023 following the filing of the lawsuit, the tribute band accused EWF of abandoning the intellectual property rights associated with the group name because other tribute acts had utilized variations of it. They therefore argued that EWF held no trademark exclusivity, despite the band’s existence as an ongoing recording and touring enterprise since 1971 when they signed to Warner Bros. Records before reaping success with Columbia.

Recent recipients of a televised Grammy salute, EWF scored its first gold album when Head to the Sky was certified in late 1973. The group’s first chart-topping album in America arrived fifty years ago in 1975 with That’s The Way of the World, followed within a year by the equally successful and mostly live double album, Gratitude. Their major studio album success ended after 1987’s Touch the World.

Ultimately, the tribute act was condemned by a judge as being “deceptive and misleading,” likely causing confusion for members of the public, and infringing EWF’s trademark rights. They were ordered to pay $750,000 (plus interest) in damages.

Brotherly Trademark Conflict

The Isley Brothers were originally formed in 1954 and reinvented themselves in 1973 with their gold top ten single, “That Lady,” and their cover version of the Seals and Crofts hit, “Summer Breeze.” However, their long history did not prevent surviving family members from suing each other in 2023 over rights to the group’s name.

Rudolph Isley sued brother Ronald Isley, accusing him of seeking exclusive trademark registration of the jointly owned group name. Although Rudolph effectively left the band in 1986 to become a Christian minister, he claimed 50% co-ownership of the enterprise.

With a rich catalog including eight platinum and four gold albums across the last fifty years beginning with 1973’s 3+3, their brand carries significant financial and emotional value and resonates with an older demographic.

The lawsuit was at least temporarily derailed by Rudolph Isley’s death aged 84 in October 2023, though it remains unclear whether any of his heirs will pursue the litigation. The only other surviving member from the Isley Brothers’ peak era in the 1970s is Ernie Isley, the renowned Jimi Hendrix-influenced guitarist and occasional drummer.

Two Versions Of UB40

The name of multiracial British reggae band UB40 is now used by two rival entities. Both bands maintain separate websites and claim to authentically represent the UB40 repertoire. While the conflict initially arose over a decade ago, it remains unresolved.

Named after Britain’s unemployment benefit form, UB40 first charted in their homeland in 1980 and eventually broke through in America in 1983 with the platinum Labour of Love cover songs album that included the #1 hit, “Red Red Wine.” After 28 years of hit records and successful international tours, brewing dissension in the group led to the acrimonious departure of lead singer Ali Campbell, followed in 2011 by many of the band members being declared bankrupt in a British court.

The internal conflicts produced permanent fractures resulting in two entirely disconnected UB40 units, both simultaneously active with recordings and international live performances.

The remnants of the original band that included two of Campbell’s brothers remain known as UB40, while the rival group currently markets itself as ‘UB40 featuring Ali Campbell.’ Illness, deaths and departures have affected both camps since the split, with the legal and personal feuds that officially began in 2014 continuing. The reggae rubric of peace and love strikes no positive chords in this situation.

In the primary examples referenced in this article, there are differing circumstances surrounding the contested trademark and name ownership issues and the challenges to such exclusivity. Previous cases involving other groups suggest that legally binding agreements or judgements provide the only long-term solutions to the potential commercial obstacles.