Isley Brothers Fighting Over Trademark Rights To Band Name

Isley Brothers Fighting Over Trademark Rights To Band Name

The Isley Brothers will be seeing each other in court.

According to reports, Rudolph Isley is suing his younger brother Ronald Isley for allegedly withholding funds they earned together and stealing the trademark to their group’s name. As you may already know, “The Isley Brothers” originated in the 1950s and was initially led by Ronald, Rudolph, and their late brother O’Kelly Isley.

The suit states that Ronald Isley, 81, applied and was approved to own “The Isley Brothers” trademark and has been keeping all the profits — which was supposed to be split evenly with his brother — for himself. 

Rudolph Isley, 83,  is claiming that the vocal trio-turned-duo should’ve had 50% ownership of the trademark following the death of their brother and band member O’Kelly “Kelly” Isley Jr. 

In addition, the legal filing notes that Ronald would’ve needed approval from Rudolph Isley to gain the exclusive rights to their band for the use of “visual recordings and audiovisual recordings featuring music and animation.”

According to Rudolphprior to Ronald putting the trademark in his name in November 2021, they split earnings for large business deals. 

On top of wanting the “The Isley Brother” trademark to be jointly owned by him and his brother, Rudolph is asking for the court to look into how much money Ronald’s accumulated since the change.

What are your thoughts on Rudolph Isley suing his brother Ronald Isley over “The Isley Brothers” trademark? Tell us below.

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Authored by: Tsai-Ann Hill