Guess it was only a matter of time till the two versions of Black Flag headed to court. Guitarist Greg Ginn and his label SST Records is reportedly now suing FLAG over copyright infringement .
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Ginn (who launched his own version of Black Flag) is seeking an injunction against FLAG’s (featuring Keith Morris, Chuck Dukowski, Bill Stevenson, Dez Cadena and Stephen Egerton) current touring plans. In the lawsuit that was filed this past Friday, Ginn accused his former bandmates of lying to the Trademark Office on registrations; using his own label’s record covers to feign as though they’ve been continuing to use Black Flag since 1979, and in an what’s alleged to be an act of “outrageous fraud,” using bootleg SST t-shirts in an attempt to show they’ve been making such products in that time. In short, he’s claiming that they’re unrightfully using the band’s logo and (partial) name, causing (as the suit puts it) “confusion, mistake or deception among consumers.”
Ginn also alleges that when Dukowski sued Ginn in 2007, part of the settlement was that Dukowski disclaimed any ownership of Black Flag-related marks and would not perform under any version of the name. What’s even more surprising, though, is who else is being named in the lawsuit. Though he’s not involved with either version of Black Flag at the moment, Henry Rollins (listed as Henry Garfield) is also listed as a defendant in the claim.
The entire suit can be read here. In the meantime, both versions of the legendary punk group will be back in North America for more tour dates soon.
