Ozzy Osbourne Sues over Rights to Black Sabbath Name

5/30/2009
Ashley Welch
Black Sabbath front man Ozzie Osbourne is suing former bandmate Tony Iommi over the ownership of the group's name, according to Reuters.

The King of Darkness filed a lawsuit in federal court on Tuesday (May 26) in New York, accusing the guitarist of falsely claiming to be the sole owner of the Black Sabbath name, his representative said in a statement on Friday.

Osbourne, 60, is also going after a share of the interest in the Black Sabbath trademark and a portion of the profits that Iommi earned while touring under the Black Sabbath name in the 1990s after the original band broke up amidst countless lineup changes.

In a statement, Osbourne apologized for bringing the matter to court, but said that he had tried to resolve it for three years amicably. He also urged Iommi to "do the right thing."

"We've all worked too hard and long in our careers to allow you to sell merchandise that features all our faces, old Black Sabbath album covers and band logos, and then you tell us that you own the copyright," he said. "We're all in our 60s now. The Black Sabbath legacy should live on long after we have all gone."

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