Band names with international equivalents

[foq1978]

This has been bugging me for a while now: is it legally OK if your band has the same name of another one, but translated?

Example: would it be fine if there was a band called Sí (Yes in Spanish), or Anstrun (Rush in German), or Lundi Heureux (Happy Mondays in French), or Violent Women (English for Violent Femmes) etc. Specially if the other band is not particularly well known.

[HaVIC5]

The short answer, yes.

The long answer, yes.

[Dekker]

It all comes down to trademarks.

If you make a watch and brand it Tiimex, and have a slogan "Takes a lickin and keeps on making ticks", you may still get a knock on the door...

All that to say, HaVIC is right, you can change names, assuming the group is not big enough to have trademarked the obvious mis-spellings and translations.

Having said that, if you are calling yourself Anstrun, and are a Rush cover band, you still might get that knock on the door, since your intention is to portray yourself as Rush.

Now, if you were a Rush cover band, with three female band members, and you call yourselves the Rushian Dolls, that might work

[Drucocu]

Originally Posted by Dekker

the Rushian Dolls

would like to see that band!

[wemmick]

There's an all female Zeppelin tribute band called Lez Zeppelin that has been touring a while under that name, so it seems to work.

[foq1978]

Thanks for all the input!
But no, it wouldn't be the name for a cover band. Does that make things better / worse?

[Drucocu]

Originally Posted by foq1978

Thanks for all the input!
But no, it wouldn't be the name for a cover band. Does that make things better / worse?

c'mon! with a little brain grease, you'll find thousand new names instead of copying existing names in a different language. Everybody will think, that you're supposed to be a cover / tribute band, and when you're not playing cover songs, they don't understand why you picked that particular name.

[foq1978]

Originally Posted by Drucocu

c'mon! with a little brain grease, you'll find thousand new names instead of copying existing names in a different language.

The issue only came up because I am not copying the name. I found out there's a band with the same name (in English). The problem is that all the brain grease was wasted coming up with a name that already existed (although in another language).

But I see your point.