The family of Jimi Hendrix have filed a lawsuit against a Seattle company who have been marketing Hendrix Electric Vodka. Janie Hendrix, CEO of the late guitar legend estate's company Experience Hendrix, has called the drinks, which come with Hendrix's face and signature on the packaging, a "sick joke" given that her brother's death was tied to alcohol consumption.
Ms Hendrix said on Tuesday: "We are greatly concerned that there may be a perception that Experience Hendrix has, in some way, authorised this sale of vodka. As a matter of strict policy, we have never promoted an alcoholic beverage".
The Experience Hendrix lawsuit claims that the imagery used on the vodka's packaging, and on other 'Electric Hendrix' products made by the company of defendant Craig Dieffenbach, breach their trademark. But Dieffenbach argues that a 2005 federal court ruling means that Experience Hendrix only have rights to Jimi's music and not his name or image, therefore he is not contravening any trademarks (in fact he's trademarked Electric Hendrix in relation to various products so arguably owns the trademarks he's accused of breaching).
The case is possibly slightly more involved than it seems at first sight, because Dieffenbach has links to Jimi's brother Leon who has had his own legal run ins with Janie in the past, most recently over the will of their father Al Hendrix.