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And Finally Artist News Business News Legal
John Lydon sues over ownership of Public Image Ltd logo
By Chris Cooke | Published on Thursday 13 April 2023
John Lydon has sued photographer and designer Dennis Morris in a dispute over the Public Image Ltd logo. So that’s fun.
According to Law360, the dispute has kicked off because Lydon did a deal with streetwear brand Supreme to create clothing that contains his band’s logo.
Lawyers for Morris – whose links with Lydon go back to the Sex Pistols in the 1970s – then issued a cease and desist notice earlier this year claiming that the Supreme garments feature his original artwork and therefore infringe his copyright.
However, Lydon’s lawsuit claims, while he and Morris collaborated on creating the PIL logo back in the day, it was agreed that Lydon would be the sole owner of the copyright in the artwork. Therefore he can license third parties to use the image without involving Morris.
Lydon wants the UK high court to confirm that he is the sole owner of the copyright in the logo and that his use of it is not infringing any other copyrights Morris may own.
Let’s just hope this ends up in court, because we know that full on Lydon legal battles can be rather entertaining.