Stephen Housden, the current legal owner of the Little River Band name, has taken action to force Little River Band founder and principal songwriter Graeham Goble to take down a LRB Facebook page.
Housden objects to the name ‘The Original Little Band’ being used on a Facebook page despite the fact that Graeham Goble is the founder of the original band.
Housden first appeared on the Little River Band’s 7th album ‘’The Net’. It was also the first album for John Farnham. Housden then took up songwriting duties on selected songs for the next album ‘Playing To Win’ but in his tenure as holder of the name he has failed to recreate the success achieved by Graeham Goble, Beeb Birtles and Glenn Shorrock.
Put frankly, the current Little River Band has not gone anywhere close to living up to the legacy created by the founding members yet (legally) profits from the use of the name. It has become an embarrassing shadow of a once great band.
Graeham Goble posted the heavily worded legal letter he received from Housden’s lawyers over a Facebook page that only has 863 members.
“It has come to our attention that you are infringing on the Owner’s use of the Mark. Specifically, and without limitation, you have created or are administrating a Facebook page using the name ‘The Original Little River Band’. The unlicensed use of the Mark creates the false and misleading impression that you and/or others associated with the Facebook page constitute ‘Little River Band’. To make matters worse, your use of the Owner’s Mark in this matter is in direct breach of the 2005 Settlement Agreement reached between the parties and filed in the U.S. District Court, Middle District of Florida, Orlando Division … Demand is hereby made that you immediately cease and desist your use of the Mark. Specifically, and without limitation, you are directed to remove the Facebook page titled ‘The Original Little River Band’, to destroy any documents or materials using the Mark ‘Little River Band’, and to cease with any future intended unauthorised use of the Mark in this matter.”
Legally, Stephen Housden has every right to take action but as everyone knows “legal’ and ‘ethical’ are two very different words and in many cases seldom the two words ever meet.
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