Remember when the band formerly known as Lady Antebellum changed their name due to its connections with slavery? Do you also remember that the name they chose, Lady A, had actually been used by Seattle-based blues singer Anita White for over two decades?
Well the country trio have now filed a lawsuit against Lady A in order to gain the rights to the name. The crux of this whole story; the band are suing a Black artist in order to distance themselves from a racist name.
The band formerly known as Lady Antebellum have now filed a lawsuit against Seattle-based blues singer Anita White. Yeah, the artist whose name they stole.
Following the whole fiasco, Lady A and her team understandably filed a $10 million lawsuit against the group. The former Lady Antebellum recently responded with a countersuit, arguing that they had actually held name’s trademark for years. Whilst the group have been using Lady A as a nickname for quite some time, the official change seemed to conveniently coincide with the George Floyd protests and the cultural conversations surrounding race and representation which ensued.
“Today we are sad to share that our sincere hope to join together with Anita White in unity and common purpose has ended,” the group announced in a statement. “She and her team have demanded a $10 million payment, so reluctantly we have come to the conclusion that we need to ask a court to affirm our right to continue to use the name Lady A, a trademark we have held for many years.”
The lawsuit claims that as White didn’t challenge the group’s nickname prior to this year, her appeal for damages is unfounded.
“Prior to 2020, White did not challenge, in any way, Plaintiffs’ open, obvious, and widespread nationwide and international use of the LADY A mark as a source indicator for Plaintiffs’ recorded, downloadable, and streaming music and videos, Plaintiffs’ live musical performances, or Plaintiffs’ sale of souvenir merchandise,” the suit explains.
When the saga began last month, the group’s publicist announced that all had been resolved between the two parties and both would continue to work under the same name. White promptly responded with the following statement: “I’m not happy about [it] yet again after talking in good faith. … Their camp is trying to erase me and I’ll have more to say tomorrow. Trust is important and I no longer trust them.”
Check out the band’s full statement here.
