XHonusWagnerX
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Yoko Ono sues singer/Suicide Girl Lennon Murphy for trade mark...
Yoko Ono is sueing a female singer that has been playing and touring for close to 10 years. Her first record came out in 2001 and since then she has
been performing under the name LENNON. Her real legal name is and always has been Lennon Murphy and she holds the trademark on the name Lennon.
Aparently Yoko is no sueing her and trying to take away her trademark saying that her using Lennon causes confusion with John Lennon and is or will
effect the Lennon estate.
Julian Lennon has come out IN SUPPORT of Lennon Murphy, but who knows what will happen.
Lennon is aparently a Suicide Girl in addition to having a band so maybe Discipline can hook us up with some pics. 
from www.LennonOnLine.com
Yesterday I received notice that Yoko Ono had filed a law suit against me, asking for a cancellation of the trademark that I own for the name
"Lennon." This could very well mean the career that I have worked so hard at, the one you all have believed in, may come to an end. I wanted to
address the situation to all my fans because without you I am nothing and it's not fair to everyone who has believed in my music not to be properly
informed of this pure bullshit.
When I first started playing music at 14, I was known for the most part as "The Lennon Murphy Band". Not a name I was very fond of, no one could ever
agree on anything so it made sense. A few months later some of the shows started being marketed using my full name as well as some that just using
"Lennon." There was never really any consistancy but there was well enough to justify stating that "Lennon" had been used in fact since 1997. When I
signed with Arista Records in 2000 at the age of 18, a marketing decision was made to continue being known just as Lennon. In all honesty, I didn't
care. I was just happy to sign a record deal, make an album, and pay my bills.
Lennon is my first name by birth and I am regualarly asked if I was named after the Beatle, having always replied no. My mother named me after "John
Lennon that wrote songs, painted, and baked bread with his son". She named me for the man, not the pop star.
In 2000 Arista Records addressed the issue of Yoko Ono potentially having a problem with our use of the name. My product manager at Arista was
ironically the son of the lawyer who actually represents Yoko. So he approached Yoko, to make her aware of the use, evidently giving her blessing as
Arista proceeded forward with the album release and at the same time filing for the trademark. Its takes time for all of the legal work to go
through, but finally in 2003 I was granted by the United States Patent & Trademark office the ownership in the name Lennon for musical use.
8 long hard years pass and no one says a word. Just 2 days before the statue of limitations was up this very same lawyer we went to in 2000 filed
their complain. I accusing me of falsly representing myself and causing confusion in the market place that has damaged to the John Lennon name.
I'm not sure what confusion I could be causing since I don't have the $50,000 to hire a lawyer and fight this. If people were confusing me with John
Lennon and accidently buying my records I should have more than enough money to live my life and hire a lawyer? I wish that was the case. I haven't
worked since Oct. 2007, so I live on just enough to get through the months until I get back on the road. I have no idea what I'm going to do yet in
this situation, and I'm stressed, angry, and scared.
This is my life. I have no respect for the name Murphy. It was my father's name we will leave it at that. I have represented myself as Lennon because
this is my name. That was the name that meant so much to my mother. That's who I am. I'm pissed and hurt that someone in Yoko's position has nothing
better to do than fuck with my life, and collect the $25,000,000 a year that the John Lennon estate brings in. Yes, this is a real number or close
enough to it. This is how I look at it. With that kind of income she probably pays more in taxes every year the you or I will make in our whole
life time. So what do I have that can be of such value to her after 8 years. I don't want to lose my name all because someone is bored in their
life of luxury.
I don't know what's going to be the outcome, but I just wanted everyone to know what is going on. I never falsified my intentions, I never used John
Lennon for my benefit, and I never took one cent out of Yoko's bank account. I play music, my name is Lennon, and the most heartbreaking thing out of
this whole situation is the insult it gives to my late mother and who she believed in; on top of demeaning the man that John Lennon was and will
always be.
For as she wrote:
There is both a relief and a sadness when you finally break through to freedom. You wonder if the soil under your feet will remain constant or if the
memories will ever shake out of your mind? Can I adjust to the silence? Should I fear the limited interruptions which sedate souls? I count my
blessing, for these walls tell no tales of the horrors of the past. My child's newly acquired goldfish know nothing of crushed dreams. The fishing
gear I bought looks to the many days on the lake we can share with each other, a daughter and her mother. How odd to name a child after a gentle
songwriter who loved his son and baked bread, what joy my lennon brings me. Kathleen Murphy
All of you out there make me who I am, it's just as much your business when someone wants to take it away.
Lennon
| Quote: | Originally posted by REV.PAULIE
HONUS-as much as i can't stand a great deal of what you really like (for my own reasons that i would never hold,nor impose,against you),YOU FUCKING
RULE!
YOU,HONUS,IS WHAT MAKES THE "EDGE" COOL.
YOUR FRIEND,
PAULIE |
check out my post contributions at www.VinylNoize.com
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clevohardcore
* Kick\'n ass on the wild side *
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damn lets see some more pics of this hottie.
Each aspect of the soul has it's own part to play, but the ideal is harmonious agreement with reason and control.
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Mark Lind
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I've been waiting for this since I first heard of her like 8 years ago. The fact that she goes by just Lennon confuses me. To me, Lennon is John
Lennon. Up until I read this article I didn't even know she had a last name. If she were to go by the full name of Lennon Murphy then it wouldn't be
confusing to me.
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BDx13
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it'll be interesting to hear how this turns out.
hell, i'd contribute to the legal defense fund just for some more pics, i mean, to see it go to court.
If I fail math, there goes my chance at a good job and a happy life full of hard work.
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random
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Mark Lind
I've been waiting for this since I first heard of her like 8 years ago. The fact that she goes by just Lennon confuses me. To me, Lennon is John
Lennon. Up until I read this article I didn't even know she had a last name. If she were to go by the full name of Lennon Murphy then it wouldn't be
confusing to me. |
If she's been playing for 10+ years, she was probably just trying to ride that trend... I mean, if Jewel can make a career by just using her first
name, then of course she can, too. Right?
Best part is that she probably has a fairly small following and Yoko Ono's lawsuit will get her tons of free publicity, creating the mass confusion
about the name that Ono is supposedly trying to avoid.
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MikeFromInhuman
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She is so damn hot! Been digging her since 2001!
FUCK THAT TWAT YOKO ONO!
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Mark Lind
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| Quote: | Originally posted by random
| Quote: | Originally posted by Mark Lind
I've been waiting for this since I first heard of her like 8 years ago. The fact that she goes by just Lennon confuses me. To me, Lennon is John
Lennon. Up until I read this article I didn't even know she had a last name. If she were to go by the full name of Lennon Murphy then it wouldn't be
confusing to me. |
If she's been playing for 10+ years, she was probably just trying to ride that trend... I mean, if Jewel can make a career by just using her first
name, then of course she can, too. Right?
Best part is that she probably has a fairly small following and Yoko Ono's lawsuit will get her tons of free publicity, creating the mass confusion
about the name that Ono is supposedly trying to avoid. |
No doubt it will get her publicity. But how many downloads or web hits has she got that were intended for John Lennon? Probably quite a few. I think
its more about protecting the Lennon legacy than stomping on a small artist's dreams. That's just my 2 cents though.
If there was someone named Springsteen O'Reilly and they went only by Springsteen then they could expect the same fate. There is some level of
branding that goes on in music.
Another thing that has always suprised me is that Ryan Adams has been able to get away with playing under that name when his real first name isn't
Ryan. You would expect that to get a rise out of Bryan Adams. But then again, maybe Bryan Adams is the one getting the accidental downloads and web
hits these days and he'll take what he can get. ha
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XHonusWagnerX
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She was on Howard Stern this morning, which is where I heard about the whole thing and they were talking about other cases where the original artist
had no issues like...
BECK vs. JEFF BECK
ELVIS COSTELLO vs. ELVIS PRESLEY
and a couple of others I think.
She did say that at a show one time some lady walked up to the tour bus and asked if she could meet John. Lennon told her "Johns Dead" and the woman
was just upset that she wouldnt get to meet him. Fucking moron......
| Quote: | Originally posted by REV.PAULIE
HONUS-as much as i can't stand a great deal of what you really like (for my own reasons that i would never hold,nor impose,against you),YOU FUCKING
RULE!
YOU,HONUS,IS WHAT MAKES THE "EDGE" COOL.
YOUR FRIEND,
PAULIE |
check out my post contributions at www.VinylNoize.com
|
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random
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Mark Lind
Another thing that has always suprised me is that Ryan Adams has been able to get away with playing under that name when his real first name isn't
Ryan. You would expect that to get a rise out of Bryan Adams. But then again, maybe Bryan Adams is the one getting the accidental downloads and web
hits these days and he'll take what he can get. ha |
Doesn't this one go the other way around? I swear I've heard stories of Ryan Adams getting irate because people fuck up and call him Bryan Adams all
the time. It's the real-life version (almost) of Michael Bolton in Office Space.
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Mark Lind
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| Quote: |
BECK vs. JEFF BECK
ELVIS COSTELLO vs. ELVIS PRESLEY
and a couple of others I think.
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Those are some really good examples. If Elvis Costello only went as ELVIS then I think the Presley estate would have been able to have the issue
litigated.
No offense to the Jeff Beck fans but I don't think he's in the same category of music legends to have solid footing in such a case. This sort of name
branding really takes a lot of clout. Maybe McCartney, Lennon, Springsteen, Elvis, Bob Dylan could have a say but not many others. Maybe Mick Jagger?
If there was a band called Jagger, I mean.
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