It started with a lawsuit filed by the 60’s rock group The Turtles against Sirius XM, the satellite radio broadcaster, over royalties. Federal copyright law only applies to broadcasted music as of 1972, so The Turtles want to be paid royalties when Sirius XM plays the group’s pre-1972 music. The Turtles won the first round, so more lawsuits have ensued.
ELVH, Inc., the holding company for the rock band Van Halen, had sued Kelly Van Halen, the ex-wife of the group’s drummer, Alex. Ms. Van Halen attempted to register trademarks for her name to use to promote and sell furniture, children’s blankets and bathing suits. ELVH claimed that “Kelly Van Halen” infringed and diluted the “Van Halen” trademark. We will never know what would have happened because the case was settled out of court, but www.kellyvanhalen.com is up.
Our story goes back to 2010 with the death of Dr. Keith L. Davis who had founded Vein Care Pavilion of the South with Dr. Steven M. Roth, and one of the trademarks of the medical practice is “The Vein Guys.”