I’m shocked this didn’t happen sooner, but the two Black Flag reunions — Black Flag and FLAG — are embroiled in a legal battle over trademark infringement.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Black Flag co-founder Greg Ginn filed a lawsuit Friday against former bandmates Keith Morris, Dez Cadena, Chuck Dukowski, and Bill Stevenson, who’ve reunited under the FLAG banner. Former Black Flag member Henry Rollins, who’s involved in neither reunion, was also named as a defendant.
Ginn claims he and his label, SST Records, exclusively own the rights to the Black Flag name and logo (and “Flag” variation), which FLAG intend to use on tour. He alleges Morris and Rollins (born Henry Garfield) of “lying to the Trademark Office on registrations; using his own label’s record covers to feign as though they’ve been continuing to use Black Flag since 1979, and in an what’s alleged to be an act of ‘outrageous fraud,’ using bootleg SST t-shirts in an attempt to show they’ve been making such products in that time,” the Reporter adds.
The suit says FLAG’s name and logo are “a colorable imitation” that’s “likely to cause confusion, mistake or deception among consumers.”
Ginn is seeking an injunction against the FLAG tour, which kicked off in May and includes appearances at FYF Fest, Riot Fest, and Fun Fun Fun Fest.
Meanwhile, Ginn’s Black Flag, which includes the 1979 lineup of Ginn and Ron Reyes are amidst an extensive US tour. They’ve also released new music.
