Welp, I suppose this was bound to happen sooner or later but unfortunately it doesn’t make it any less disheartening for the punk scene now that its here. You surely know by now that two versions of legendary hardcore punk act Black Flag have reunited and are playing shows and festivals the world over. Only one of the two would be using the Black Flag name, (Greg Ginn on guitar, Ron Reyes on vocals, Gregory AMoore on drums and Dave Klein on bass) while the other has designated themselves as “Flag” (Keith Morris on vocals, Chuck Dukowski on bass, Bill Stevenson on drums, Stephen Egerton on guitar and Dez Cadena also on guitar).
Anyway, according to a report in the Hollywood Reporter, original Black Flag co-owner Greg Ginn is suing his former band mates now in Flag for copyright infringement, stating the rights to the name and logo are owned solely by him and his label SST Records.
The articles states:
“He sued his 1979-mid 1980s bandmates Friday, seeking an injunction against their current tour, which kicked off in May and will stop in Los Angeles (pending this case) for FYF Fest on August 24. The suit describes the alleged infringement of the logo and name “Flag” as “a colorable imitation” that’s “likely to cause confusion, mistake or deception among consumers.”
No statement has been issued by the Flag camp but we’ll keep you posted.
Black Flag broke up back in 1986, although many of the former members have reunited occasionally since.