Morrissey claims Johnny Marr now owns “100 per cent trademark rights and Intellectual Property” of The Smiths name – and can tour as band without him

nme.com:

Morrissey has claimed that Johnny Marr now owns all of the “trademark rights and Intellectual Property” of The Smiths, and can tour as a band without him.The band’s former frontman made the claims against his ex-bandmate in a new post shared on his website yesterday (September 15), stating that the action was taken without warning him or giving him a chance to object.“J Marr has successfully applied for 100 per cent trademark rights / Intellectual Property ownership of The Smiths name,” the post began. “His application has been accepted on whatever oaths or proclamations he has put forward.

This action was done without any consultation to Morrissey, and without allowing Morrissey the standard opportunity of ‘objection’.”It continued: “Amongst many other things, this means that Marr can now tour as The Smiths using the vocalist of his choice, and it also prohibits Morrissey from using the name whilst also denying Morrissey considerable financial livelihood.

Morrissey alone created the musical unit name ‘The Smiths’ in May 1982.”NME has reached out to a spokesperson for Johnny Marr for comment.The two were bandmates in The Smiths for six years and released four albums together during this time: ‘The Smiths’ (1984), ‘Meat Is Murder’ (1985), ‘The Queen Is Dead’ (1986), and ‘Strangeways, Here We Come’ (1987).However, there has been bad blood between them for a number of years now, particularly over their difference in political views.Just last week, the band’s former frontman took to his site to claim that a Smiths ‘Greatest Hits’ album had been “blocked” by the guitarist, and shortly before then, he also weighed his thoughts on the Oasis reunion, telling fans that he had received an offer for a Smiths reunion, but the.