Seattle blues singer Lady A, who has been in a legal battle with the country band formerly known as Lady Antebellum after they edited their name without consulting her, is not backing down. She is now suing the Lady A band for “lost sales, diminished brand identity, and diminution in the value of and goodwill associated with the mark” as well as trademark infringement and unfair competition.
Rolling Stone reports that Lady A singer Anita White is now countersuing the group for infringing on her LADY A trademark, which she says she has nationwide common law rights for relating to music and entertainment services. She says her ownership of the name LADY A trademark predates Lady Antebellum’s, who changed its name to be slightly less racist in the wake of Black Lives Matter protests in June, in a move similar to the Dixie Chicks shortening their name to just the “Chicks.”
After the Lady A band announced their name change, the blues singer stepped forward to point out that a Lady A musical act already existed. And in a move that certainly negates any attempt at getting rid of their racist name origins, the Lady A band sued White, a Black woman, claiming that she had demanded $10 million and requested that a court approve their right to use the new name. Now, after being dragged into this mess, White says in her complaint that the band’s status as Lady A has overshadowed her own career and search results.
If the band formerly known as Lady Antebellum really wanted to reflect on their name and contribute in some way to Black Lives Matter, I’m not sure how they’re doing so by waging an intense legal battle with a Black artist. They really should have just gone with Debutante Pavilion!