Guns N' Roses have filed a lawsuit against a gun store in Texas, saying the owners are trying to trick fans into thinking there's a link between the two.
Texas Guns and Roses is an online store operated by Jersey Village Florist. It sells firearms, ammunition, scopes and body armour — as well as a small selection of roses.
Court papers say the owners did not get permission from the band to use the name.
Lawyers for GNR say Jersey Village Florist “selected and adopted defendant’s marks for the purpose of confusing consumers into believing that it was connected or associated with, or licensed by, GNR.”
They add that the store only sells roses as an attempt to justify the “wholesale appropriation” of the Guns N’ Roses trademark.
The band's representatives say GNR became aware of the name Texas Guns and Roses in 2019. Lawyers sent a cease-and-desist letter, but the store continues to use the name and “intentionally trade on GNR’s goodwill, prestige and fame without GNR’s approval, license or consent," according to the court papers.
It continues: “This is particularly damaging to GNR given the nature of defendant’s business. GNR, quite reasonably, does not want to be associated with defendant, a firearms and weapons retailer.
"Furthermore, defendant espouses political views related to the regulation and control of firearms and weapons on the website that may be polarizing to many U.S. consumers.”
David L. Clark, an attorney representing Jersey Village Florist, tells City News Service: "There's never been any confusion and they have no evidence of confusion. This is an attempt to run up costs and burn us out. Our client sells metal safes for guns and flowers, and have a one-stop website and absolutely no one is confused. Nobody thinks we're the band or there is some affiliation. We will be fighting back."
The lawsuit is seeking unspecified damages and for the store to stop using the name.
