All Pistols Blazing

John Lydon, former Sex Pistols frontman has lost a High Court battle against two former band members to stop a new TV drama using the Sex Pistols music.

Former band members Paul Cook and Steven Jones sued Lydon after he attempted to block the use of their songs in a new TV drama director by Danny Boyle. Lydon argued the deal likened to “slave labour”. Cook and Jones claimed the group signed a band member agreement in 1998 which stated that any such decisions could be made on a “majority rule basis”. An agreement Lydon said had never been adhered to.

The Judge ruled in favour of Cook and Jones, stating that they were entitled to invoke the majority voting rules, noting also that Lydon “had actually signed away his power to control the use of music rights”. Under this ruling, any majority of the band could overrule any individual members’ vetoes.

Whilst Lydon argued the agreement had never been used and suggested the agreement to be like a nuclear button for the claimants to “impose their wishes” on him, Cook and Jones welcomed the ruling and the clarity over the decision-making brought with it.

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