While this past year hasn’t exactly been easy for all band members formerly associated with the punk rock group Black Flag, things are likely feeling a lot less pressurized now that the lawsuit between the band’s two different reunion groups has been settled.
In a sense, everything got started when founding member Greg Ginn joined former Black Flag singer Ron Reyes to play UK’s Hevy Fest in 2013. The group then announced they were creating follow-up album to 1985’s In My Head, and it’s likely what spurred singer Keith Morris, drummer Bill Stevenson and bassist Chuck Dukowski to start up their own Black Flag reunion group, FLAG.
The new Black Flag went on to announce summer 2013 tour dates, as well as record the first new music from the group in over 20 years.
FLAG responded adequately, announcing their own summer tour that year, and that’s when tempers began to flare. News spread last August as the reunited Black Flag decided to sue FLAG for their use of the Black Flag logo, as well as for using a name similar to the original group they’d all been a part of.
From there, Ginn lost an injunction in the lawsuit, then announced the upcoming release of the group’s first new album in some 30 years.
Vocalist Ron Reyes then announced he was leaving the reunited Black Flag, and was replaced by manager Mike Vallely.
Bassist Dave Klein then also left Black Flag, but this didn’t deter the group from scheduling Spring and Summer tour. A little more than a month later, things began their reconciliation process as the lawsuit between the two reunion groups was finally settled.
Today, details of the settlement have been leaked, and they look to heavily favor those in the new Black Flag:
–The ownership of all of the recordings of Black Flag have been confirmed to Greg Ginn and SST Records.
–All rights in the Black Flag name and logo have been confirmed to Greg Ginn and SST Records.
–Henry Rollins and Keith Morris, who had surreptitiously attempted to register the Black Flag logo (the “bars’’) with the U.S. Trademark Office, have conveyed any rights they had in that trademark to Greg Ginn and SST Records.
–Flag wil cease use of the Black Flag logo.
Singer Vallely had this to say about the settlement:
As was inevitable, this little bump in the road is out of the way and BLACK FLAG will continue as planned without the confusion.
Things could potentially get bumpy between the groups in the near future, but here’s hoping the best prevails for the both of them.
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