Lennon Vs. Ono
Lennon Murphy and Yoko Ono are at odds over the usage of the name "Lennon" as a trademark.
A little known singer/songwriter by the name of Lennon Murphy is at odds with Yoko Ono over who has legal rights to the famous name.
According to E! Online, Ono's attorney filed a petition last week with the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board of the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office seeking to cancel a trademark Murphy took out in 2003 for "Lennon" as the name of her band.
Murphy claims that she sought and received Ono's blessing to use the name back in 2000, when she signed with Arista Records. After poor record sales, Arista dropped Murphy and her band from the label, however, Lennon, the band, continues to perform concerts and release music independently.
Murphy believes that Ono's change of heart came two days before the statute of limitations was due to run out. Although Ono decided to pick a fight with Murphy, the young singer has gained support from another unlikely source; the Lennon family.
Apparently, Julian Lennon, John's son from his marriage to first wife Cynthia Lennon, posted Murphy's message on his MySpace blog and expressed sympathy for her situation.
In his post, Julian Lennon stated: "This is NOT about me but about a girl named Lennon. She has my full support."
