A trademark infringement lawsuit brought on behalf of Guns N’ Roses may soon have a Texas gun and flower shop knocking on a courthouse door.
Axl Rose, Saul “Slash” Hudson, and Michael “Duff” McKagan, members of the rock group Guns N’ Roses, have filed a lawsuit against Jersey Village Florist, the company behind the online store Texas Guns and Roses, for wholesale appropriation and trademark infringement of the band’s name without the band’s authorization, license, or consent.
According to the band’s lawsuit, which EW was able to get, the store’s name is “likely to confuse” with the Guns N’ Roses mark. According to the lawsuit, it also “falsely inferred a relationship” with the band, which might “dilute” the name. Guns N’ Roses claims that the online store exploited the band’s “goodwill, prestige, and fame” without their consent, which was “particularly damaging” given the nature of the industry.
The complaint further stated that the band “does not wish to be affiliated with Defendant, a vendor of firearms and weapons.” Additionally, the defendant expresses political opinions on the website that many American consumers may find divisive about regulating and controlling firearms and other weapons. In addition to treble damages, the band is asking for a stop of the website name and legal costs.
A request for comment from EW was not immediately answered by legal counsel for Guns N’ Roses. When contacted on Monday, Jersey Village Florists’ attorney David L. Clark stated that his clients maintain “that there is no mistake between the marks, a fact Guns N’ Roses’ lawyers already admitted.”
2019 saw the resolution of a trademark dispute between Guns N’ Roses and the Colorado brewery Oskar Blues. The band claimed that the brewery was selling Guns N’ Rosé merchandise and ale without their consent.
