THE
DOORS' JOHN DENSMORE FILES LEGAL CHALLENGE TO THE
UNAUTHORIZED USE OF "THE DOORS" NAME
Importance: High
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
THE DOORS'
JOHN DENSMORE FILES LEGAL CHALLENGE TO THE
UNAUTHORIZED USE OF "THE DOORS" NAME
LOS ANGELES Feb 4, 2003:
In a move to
protect the legacy of one of rock's greatest musical groups, attorneys
representing John Densmore, co-founder and drummer of The Doors, have filed a
legal action in Los Angeles County Superior Court today charging breach of
contract, trademark infringement and unfair competition against Ray Manzarek and
Robbie Krieger, the two other remaining members of The Doors.
A concert tour organized by Manzarek and Krieger featuring substitute musicians
- Stuart (sic) Copeland, formerly of The Police and Ian
Astbury, formerly of The Cult, in place of Densmore and the late Jim Morrison
has brought on the legal action, which also names Astbury and Copeland.
Seeking
an injunction and damages, the filing cites advertising and promotion of the new
group as "The Doors" without the consent of Densmore and the estates of
Jim Morrison and his wife, Pam Courson.
"It's misleading to the fans," stated Densmore. "I'm forced to speak out now and
to take action in order to protect the integrity of the great work all four of
us created together. My partners are free to play under any other name and any
other logo, as the members of many bands from the same era are doing. I am
seeking only to end the confusion caused by the deceptive ad campaign they are
using on this tour, in order to preserve the legacy of The Doors, and to set the
record straight."
According to the complaint filed by attorney Jerome Mandel of Mandel & Norwood,
"The performances and advertising by the defendants as The Doors has resulted in
substantial confusion to fans. That the defendants have held themselves
out as The Doors, and that there has been a drummer playing with that band who
is not [John Densmore], has minimized and diminished the reputation and stature
of [John Densmore] by causing people to believe that he was not, and is not, an
integral and respected part of The Doors band, or is one member who easily can
be replaced by another."
The complaint also describes the numerous telephone calls received by Densmore
from fans and friends regarding the tour and asking for tickets under the
misapprehension that Densmore and his fellow Doors had re-united.
In keeping with the band's legal agreement to make unanimous business decisions,
and to share equally in all revenues, Densmore has to date participated
consistently in ventures with his two band partners and the
estates of Jim Morrison and Pam Courson, including re-issued recordings,
concerts and video releases. Densmore declined to join the other members
of the band in a recent performance due to a brief illness and was surprised
when other musicians were permanently brought aboard for a tour that included an
appearance on NBC's The Tonight Show and an upcoming concert at the Universal
Amphitheater Friday, February 7.
Examples of deceptive advertising cited in the complaint are:
a) Ads in
the Los Angeles times promoting the concert at the Universal
Amphitheater using the name and original logo of The Doors;
b)
Tonight Show host Jay Leno introducing a live studio performance of the
band as "The Doors."
Densmore continues his recording and performing career, including a
performance Saturday, February 8 benefiting For The Arts, a non-profit group
raising funds to restore arts education programs in the Santa Monica/Malibu
public school district.
ABOUT JOHN DENSMORE
A founding member of the musical group The Doors, John Densmore co-produced and
co-wrote seven gold albums, three gold singles and toured the United States,
Europe and Japan while all four members were united, with a worldwide total of
more than 49 million gold and platinum albums sold to date.
His autobiography, "Riders on the Storm" (1991) hit the New York Times bestseller list. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993. A writer, playwright and stage performer, Densmore's essay on the corporate co-opting of rock music to sell consumer products was published by The Nation and subsequently in Rolling Stone and the London Guardian (www.thedoors.com/band/john).
His new
group, Tribaljazz, will release their debut CD on Hidden Beach Records this
summer.
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2/4/03