Johnny Marr, former guitarist of the Smiths, has dismissed comments made by the band’s former frontman Steven Morrissey (known mononymously as Morrissey) that Marr had acquired trade mark rights for the band’s name without consultation.
In a statement, however, Marr refuted the claim, instead suggesting that his representatives had reached out to Morrissey’s in 2018 so that they might work together to protect the Smiths’ name, however Morrissey failed to respond and Marr subsequently registered the trade mark himself. Marr was reportedly prompted to do so following the attempted use of the band’s name by a third party.
It has since been agreed between the parties that the trade mark should be held jointly by the two former bandmates. As such, as a gesture of goodwill, Marr allegedly signed an assignment apportioning joint ownership of the mark to Morrissey, though the document is purportedly yet to be executed by the latter.
If you have any questions on the above, feel free to contact a member of the team at 0191 281 4000 or alternatively at legal@mcdanielslaw.com.
