“Lakeside” in a name: Stolen Property

Say what you will, but if one group of musicians has been operating under a name since 1976, why should they have to vacate that name because one disgruntled and former member thought to seek a copyright on a name that was never legally copy written? In fact, after producing 9 albums under that name (not including “Greatest Hits” packages), one would think the sheer number of albums bearing that name would be copyright enough. And maybe legally it is. Furthermore, the recording contracts that were negotiated and signed to record those 9 LPs contained the name of the group and the nine individual members who made up the group. No one member had control of or ownership of the name, it was jointly owned. It would be the same if someone decided to copyright your birth name (and most people do not have a copyright on their birth name), and started using it and would not allow you to use it any longer. How can you be anyone else but who you are? Well, that is the case in one group’s fight for the recovery of the stage and professional name of “Lakeside.” It all boils down to the fact that some people think they can make up their own rules about how things work in business and in life. You can’t… that’s why we have laws and a judicial system to protect people from unscrupulous and criminal behavior. And after all the evidence is in, the court will adjudicate a ruling in favor of the majority of original members of the band Lakeside, who by the way — hold no malice towards the misguided individual who believes that there is nothing wrong with stealing a trademark — but only want to reclaim what is rightfully, historically and legally theirs.

Written by Otis Stokes, Music/Entertainment Editor LATF The Magazine

and Original Member of the group, Lakeside.