The surviving original members of the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band are campaigning for a change in the law after they were left unable to perform or record under their own name
The 60s pranksters, who had a hit with the 1968 Paul McCartney-produced single I’m The Urban Spaceman, discovered two years ago that an unnamed “entity” had registered their name as a “figurative trademark.”
UK law allows anyone to register a band’s name or intellectual property for just £200 online, irrespective of whether they are involved or not. The band themselves have been unable to perform or record as The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band for the last two years.
The band have launched a campaign to raise initial £3000 to attempt to win back the name via the IPO Tribunal service. They are also facing a lawsuit issued by the “entity” that own the trademark, who asserts their attempt to win back the name.
“This is an issue critical to every performing artist in the country,” say the band in a statement. “Whatever you can give will be put towards ensuring that these National Treasures are able to retain the name that they believe is rightfully theirs, as well as amending the arcane legislation which is currently ripe for exploitation and causing widespread harm and expense to the artistic community in the UK.”
