It has been revealed that The Isley Brothers will be heading to court over the rights to the Isley Brothers band name.
The brothers – Rudolph and Ronald Isley – have been in a legal dispute over owning the rights to their band’s name since earlier this year. As reported by Billboard, in a ruling handed down on Wednesday, August 23, Judge Thomas M. Durkin refused to dismiss Rudolph’s lawsuit against Ronald.
In the lawsuit, Rudolph has accused his brother Ronald of improperly attempting to register an individual trademark on the name ‘The Isley Brothers’. Rudolph believes they should each own half of the rights equally.
In 2021, Ronald sent in an application to the United States Patent and Trademark Office seeking exclusive rights to “The Isley Brothers” trademark. It was officially registered in August 2022. Earlier this year, Rudolph sued Ronald, seeking a full accounting and a payment from Ronald equaling 50 per cent of the proceeds made from the Isley Brothers name. As a response to the suit, Ronald filed a notion to dismiss the case.
Ronald’s attorneys had argued that Rudolph surrendered any control over the name upon leaving the band, therefore the case should be tossed. Due to the case’s “unique circumstances”, the judge denied Ronald’s motion and decided that the case could move forward to trial.
Rudolph’s lawyer Brian D. Caplan shared a statement to Billboard that said his client was “happy that the court denied his brother’s motion to dismiss his complaint” and “looks forward to the recognition of his rights as a 50% owner in the name ‘The Isley Brothers,’ the iconic name of the band that he formed in 1954 with his two brothers.”