Ozzy Sues Iommi Over Name Black Sabbath

According to the New York Post, Ozzy Osbourne has filed a lawsuit against his BLACK SABBATH bandmate Tony Iommi, claiming that Iommi illegally took sole ownership of the band's name in a filing with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Osbourne is suing Iommi for a 50 percent interest in the "Black Sabbath" trademark, along with a portion of Iommi's profits from use of the name.

The Manhattan federal court suit also charges that Osbourne's "signature lead vocals" are largely responsible for the band's "extraordinary success," noting that its popularity plummeted during his absence from 1980 through 1996.

Ozzy's suit follows one filed by Iommi in December 2008 against Live Nation. In that filing, Iommi claims the concert giant sold merchandise bearing the band's logo, despite the 2006 expiration of a merchandising deal, reportedly worth nearly $80 million. Soon after that agreement concluded, Iommi reclaimed the band's trademark.

Iommi's suit argues Live Nation continued to sell more than 100 items of merchandise featuring the band's likeness, name and logo, despite the receipt of cease-and-desist orders from the guitarist's camp. Iommi's suit seeks damages in the amount of three times the profits from the merchandise sales, plus a halt to the BLACK SABBATH product sales.

Iommi and Geezer Butler have both said some less than kind things about working with Osbourne in a new interview with Decibel magazine. The pair recently completed a new studio album as HEAVEN & HELL, the post-Ozzy version of SABBATH featuring vocalist Ronnie James Dio, and Butler said that working with Dio was much easier than Osbourne. He explained, "Ronnie's a songwriter in his own right — he's got tons of ideas. Whereas Ozzy . . . in the old days, he'd come up with a vocal line and I'd write the lyrics. Ronnie is 100 percent involved in both the musical side and the vocal side, and he writes his own lyrics as well."

Butler added that Osbourne didn't take him seriously as a songwriter, saying, "If we were with Ozzy and I came in with the killer riff of all time, Ozzy wouldn't even think of doing it because I'm not the guitarist and that's the way he thinks . . . That's why it was so bloody hard to write anything."

Butler said about HEAVEN & HELL's debut CD, "The Devil You Know", "If we'd written this album with Ozzy, we'd still be working on the first track."

Iommi added that there was a sharp difference between the singers live as well, saying, "It was great being with Ozzy on the road . . . but with Ronnie it's a lot different, because we go out and we know exactly what we're gonna be doing. With Ozzy, we didn't really know. It was touch and go sometimes on some of those early shows, whether he was gonna turn up, if he'd be able to sing, if his voice was gone, or what. We'd have to cancel shows, which Geezer and myself really hated. But with Ronnie, we've never canceled a show."

Hmmmm, who do you think was behind all of this? Is there really any wonder why Tony went with the name Heaven & Hell? And yet, he still can't get away from that evil witch.

Tony was heavily in debt and he sold the name to Ozzy and Sharon back in the 90s. It belongs to them. He never should've gotten in debt and sold it to them in the first place.

Temple of Blood wrote:

Tony was heavily in debt and he sold the name to Ozzy and Sharon back in the 90s. It belongs to them. He never should've gotten in debt and sold it to them in the first place.

That's inaccurate. Tony still owns the name, it was a rumor that he "sold" it back to Ozzy.

I thought just recently Ozzy was cool with them but i guess since that last interview he got pissed.

Tony Iommi owns the name Black Sabbath and has been using that name to record albums since 1980, if Ozzy felt this strongly about his ownership of the name why did he not sue Iommi in 1980-1997, when several albums where recorded under the name Black Sabbath.

F**k that sfincter Ozzy and his stupid wife. I hope Iommi wins and countersues Ozzy's dumbass.

Just when I thought Ozzy couldn't sink any lower than re-recording the backing tracks of his early solo albums...he pulls this stunt. Iommi purchased the rights to the Black Sabbath name in 1985, he has had sole ownership ever since.

Iommi isn't even USING the damn name right now.

I will continue to be a fan of Black Sabbath, but I'm COMPLETELY done with Ozzy Osbourne...I will never again listen to his solo albums or give him another red cent.

He's dead as far as I'm concerned.

detuned wrote:

Temple of Blood wrote:

Tony was heavily in debt and he sold the name to Ozzy and Sharon back in the 90s. It belongs to them. He never should've gotten in debt and sold it to them in the first place.

That's inaccurate. Tony still owns the name, it was a rumor that he "sold" it back to Ozzy.

QFT

Why would Ozzy sue Iommi for half the name if he and Sharon owned it?

Quote :

if Ozzy felt this strongly about his ownership of the name why did he not sue Iommi in 1980-1997, when several albums where recorded under the name Black Sabbath.

Exactly. Even if Ozzy & Sharon owned the name Black Sabbath, why wait till May 2009 to drum up a lawsuit? I'm sure seeing the success of the Heaven & Hell tour and album coupled with the recent debacle that was the Osbournes Variety Show and some bad mouthing in the press has nothing to do with it.

I'm still a fan, but they sure are making it tough.

Sharon's name is all over this. I don't think Ozzy is mentally sharp enough to care.

Quote :

Osbourne is suing Iommi for a 50 percent interest in the "Black Sabbath" trademark, along with a portion of Iommi's profits from use of the name.

The Manhattan federal court suit also charges that Osbourne's "signature lead vocals" are largely responsible for the band's "extraordinary success," noting that its popularity plummeted during his absence from 1980 through 1996.

He didn´t write the songs and he didn´t write the lyrics. So 50% is totally . Also Bill Ward was responsible for the success too. And the band´s popularity plummeted before he left the band. Than Heaven and Hell went platinum in the States.

detuned wrote:

I will continue to be a fan of Black Sabbath, but I'm COMPLETELY done with Ozzy Osbourne...I will never again listen to his solo albums or give him another red cent.

He's dead as far as I'm concerned.

same here. he died sometime back around 1995 for me.

Poor Ozzy. He must be hard up for cash.

Just when you thought Ozzy couldn't get more lamer than he's already became. I'm sure that greedy ass wife of his is 1000% behind all of this.

Sadly, I don't think it's so much about money as it is about Sharon being a publicity smurf-for-hire and her reputation as the Queen B, Ball-Busting Business Manager. With all the positive attention/reviews Heaven & Hell has been getting, she's gotta make sure everyone knows it's "all because of Ozzy".

Very sad indeed.

nevermore wrote:

Just when you thought Ozzy couldn't get more lamer than he's already became. I'm sure that greedy ass wife of his is 1000% behind all of this.

Agreed.

Ten years of touring w/Ozzy and no new material to speak of, they were becoming a Vegas act!

This certainly smells like Ozzy had a bit of a push (Sharon) to file this suit.
Ozzy has done and has let himself be talked into some dumb stuff over his career and I think this is pretty stupid as well. It will not however keep me from listening to early Sabbath and to a lesser extent his early solo work, that stuff is just too awesome.

ultmetal wrote:

Poor Ozzy. He must be hard up for cash.

Yeah, but he did "Osbournes Reloaded" - that has to count for something, right?

j/k

Ozzy is the Bret Favre of metal, I wish he'd just go away already!

candlemass wrote:

Ozzy is the Bret Favre of metal, I wish he'd just go away already!

Great analogy!

What the hell is Ozzy suing over anyway? If Iommi owned the rights as the suit claims then why is the new Sabbath album attributed to Heaven and Hell? Just what monetary rewards is Ozzy seeking a piece of? The whole thing doesn't make any logical sense.

Sounds like sharron to me - ozzy does what ever she says

tohostudios wrote:

candlemass wrote:

Ozzy is the Bret Favre of metal, I wish he'd just go away already!

Great analogy!

What the hell is Ozzy suing over anyway? If Iommi owned the rights as the suit claims then why is the new Sabbath album attributed to Heaven and Hell? Just what monetary rewards is Ozzy seeking a piece of? The whole thing doesn't make any logical sense.

But does ozzy even have logic any more?

Sharon spends money like crazy then uses Ozzy to sue people when their well runs dry.

I think it just comes down to shame, Ozzy should never have done something like that, even if his wife is pulling the strings. Sure we all dont know what happened behind the scenes when BS was touring again the last 10 years and even if they all got on each others nerves, does not give good favor for this suit.

Ozzy has not made anything with BS since 1980 or so, so why care now? Why ruin any last chance of them making a farewell album with Ozzy? Like him or not, at one point they all did want to do a final album with RJD and then Ozzy. Seems like that wont happen anymore.

I hope that this does not hold up in court, and the Osbourne's fail miserably on this attack, and I actually am one of the few who still like Ozzy (minus this stunt). It makes no sense at all and I cant see how any of this will be in Ozzy's favor, I hope it cost him a nice dime for court costs with nothing in return, but of course they will learn no lesson.

Based on what little and marginal material they came up w/over the last ten years w/Ozzy, that just ain't gonna happen.