Yoko suing an SG...

And this despite "Lennon" being her actual birth name.

Unbelievable.

Some people have way too much money and way too many lawyers, apparently.

Fuck that warbling lamprey.

Excellent choice of phrase.

This is just fucked up on so many levels.

Other than marrying John Lennon, what has Yoko done to deserve her fame?

well, in this country...you can sue anyone for just about anything. It doesn't mean that the lawsuit has any merit. Now, I'm a complete layman...having no legal training whatsoever...but I fail to see, with the evidence presented, how Yoko Ono's lawsuit has any merit.

It's her name. She's not trying to imply any connection to John Lennon and not trying to defame him. To me, it just seems to be an example of Yoko Ono being foolishly overzealous in defending her meal ticket.

She was a pretty decent artist in a couple fields, but certainly not worthy of the level of fame she reached.

Smart business lady though.

Maybe a lawyer could speak on this, but would the cancellation of Lennon's trademark on the name really stop her from using it entirely?

Also, I think that in order to keep a trademark, or in order to protect a name (or brand) the holder has to vigilantly protect it (sue people who try to use it, no matter who they are)? Maybe I'm wrong, though.

Also, it's not like Yoko is suing for any money, just the revocation of Lennon's trademark on the name.

that's kind of what i was thinking, she's going to be famous because the woman who broke up the Beatles is going to try to sue her, for something rather dumb.

It will probably create a new flow of traffic for the SG site itself too, and an influx of n00bs using the Hook Up board to get laid!

Didn't that just happen yesterday ? The noobs trying to get laid part , that is . Oh yeah , fuck that no talent hag .

Is there a recording artist who releases albums under the name "John"? If so, I guess they'd better watch out.

I think it would be wonderful to turn on the radio and hear that someone like Neko Case or Dolores O'Riordan pummelled the shit out of Yoko Ono.

And good luck to Lennon. You should be able to use your own name for your own music, despite the objections of a warbling lamprey. (thank you Darke)

I just heard about this on the radio... and what a load of old bollocks it is.

I don't see any merit behind this case what so ever... How can you sue someone for using their own name?

Man I hated her more than the Beatles already, but this is just fucking idiotic.

God, I wasn't able to mute the music fast enough on her myspace

Yes. If she wanted to use the name she should have kept it under the radar for as long as possible and never TM'd it. Frankly, she should never have tried to TM her surname. Surnames are valid as TMs only when they have acquired secondary meaning, i.e. the public associates the TM with a certain product. I hardly think it can be reasonably argued that the public, shit, the WORLD, doesn't associate the surname "Lennon" with the Beatle. It would be a lot easier to TM Lennon if her product was soap or something that wasn't a confusingly similar good: music. The fact that Lennon is Lennon's surname makes no difference in this context.

Absolutely true. If Yoko had not prosecuted, that is proof that she no longer uses or cares about the TM, and she could theoretically lose it down the road. You know what? I wouldn't be suprised it Lennon has been on their radar for the last 8 years, and Yoko held her lawyers back until the last minute, hoping perhaps that over time Lennon would stop performing and using the TM, and would just lose it. She may yet be all about peace and karma.

The one thing that Lennon has going for her is the fact that she has been using the surname for so long with nobody trying to enjoin her from doing so. But the force is pretty strong with Yoko and Lennon on this one.

For the record, I think this is a bummer and I hope Lennon gets through this without much of a hassle. If I was her, I'd agree to change the name immediately so any recent publicity resulting from this faisco notes said change and people can take notice.

it's funny -- it's like Yoko Ono must wake up every morning and ask herself: "How can I get the world to hate me even more?"

Oh. Well, it is even harder to TM a first name. And it doesn't change the analysis. Still the same or similar product. Still an identical TM.

Who exactly is "everyone?"