A British indie band is being sued by the owner of easyJet after he alleged they were “damaging” his reputation with their behavior after their singer shouted “fuck the Tories” at a festival and got so drunk he had to be kicked out. From Stage. at a concert.
EasyGroup, the airline’s owner, has filed court papers alleging that Leicester-based band Easy Life are also exploiting their “valuable reputation” to sell products to their fans.
The company, run by Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou, is seeking a “substantial” amount of money for trademark infringement on merchandise, including a poster used by the band that featured an image of a plane in easyJet colours, as well as t – T-shirts that display a logo similar to that of the company.
The band are also accused of risking damage to the reputation of easyJet’s parent company, easyGroup, after releasing an EP in 2020 titled “Who Gives a F*ck”, repeatedly cursing on stage and offering fans to stay. back and do drugs with them backstage.
Easy Life said the claims were “funny” and apologized to fans who “bought concert tickets and ended up on a cheap flight to Tenerife”, adding that they are “sure we have in no way affected their [easyGroup’s] business’.
The Easy Life gang, pictured, say they are being sued by the owner of easyJet over their name.
Court documents allege the Leicester-based gang used the easyGroup brand to sell merchandise.
In a statement posted online, the band called the allegations “hilarious” and insisted they were “confident that we have in no way affected their [easyGroup’s] business’
In August, at a gig at Oxford’s O2 Academy, a band member encouraged the audience to “stay back and take ketamine with them.”
Earlier this year, at a concert in Glasgow, singer Murray Matravers was dragged off stage by band members after becoming “so drunk” on whiskey that the performance was abandoned.
The year before in Glasgow, at the TRNSMT Festival, Matravers shouted ‘Fuck you, fuck the Conservatives’, ‘you’re all mad, you bastards’ and ‘you’re all mad, you sons of bitches’. ‘ on the stage.
EasyGroup is Sir Stelios’ private investment vehicle. It licenses the brand to 156 companies beginning with the word “easy,” including “easyJet,” “easyMusic,” and, as of August 2022, catalog retailer “Easylife.”
The trademark lawsuit, which was filed in the High Court on September 6, also focuses on the band’s tour to promote their debut album ‘Life’s a Beach’ in 2021 and 2022.
The tour dates were announced on an “airplane poster” which easyGroup claims uses an easyJet aircraft where the airline’s name has been swapped with the words “easy Life” in the same font and style.
The band also released products in the same style. While it is no longer for sale, easyGroup managed to find images via social media to back up its claim.
The company argues that, given the magnitude of easyJet’s reputation, Easy Life knew the design would “capture consumers’ attention” and deliberately “profited from that exploitation.”
Stelios’ lawyers add: “Regardless of whether the link was intended to be provocative or humorous, such a benefit is unfair because it constitutes taking advantage of valuable reputation.” [of easyJet].’
EasyGroup says it cannot estimate the full cost of the damage the gang is alleged to have caused, but expects “it to be substantial.”
In a statement issued on Monday, October 2, the band said: ‘
‘Okay…we never imagined having to do this but we have no choice but to address the situation we find ourselves in.
‘As some of you have already discovered, we are being sued. easyJet is suing us for calling ourselves Easy Life. We are being forced to change our name or engage in a costly legal battle we could never afford.
‘We have worked hard to establish our brand and I am sure that in no way have we affected your business. Although we find the whole situation funny, we are practically powerless in the face of such a huge corporation.
‘I really don’t know what else to say, we’ll keep you posted.
‘For those of you who bought concert tickets and ended up on a cheap flight to Tenerife, I apologize. To the rest of you, thank you very much for all your support.’
Easy Life formed in Leicester in 2017 and received acclaim in 2020, winning the NME Best New British Act award and coming second in the 2020 edition of the BBC’s annual Sound of… poll of music critics and industry figures. .
EasyGroup alleges that the band’s merchandise, including this poster showing a plane with similar colors to easyJet, is trademark infringement.
The lawyers have sent a photo of an Easy Life t-shirt bearing a similar easyGroup logo on the back.
EasyLife, owned by EasyGroup, sells “problem-solving products for the home and garden”
An easyGroup spokesperson told the BBC: “Stelios [Haji-Ioannou] and easyGroup founded and now owns the right to the easy brand.
‘Other companies including Easylife [the catalogue company]They pay annual royalties for its use as part of their commercial strategy.
‘We cannot allow others to simply use it for nothing, free of charge and in exchange for nothing. It would be unfair.
EasyLife, owned by Cayman Islands-based EasyGroup, describes itself as a “retailer and distributor of home and garden problem-solving products” such as garden hoses and weed killers.
EasyGroup hosts a page on its website titled “trademark thieves,” where it boasts of legal victories against companies it claims have infringed its intellectual property.
“Some people think they can make a quick buck by stealing our name and reputation,” he says.
The most recent post is from December 2019, when EasyGroup secured a court order against Swiss hosting provider Exoscale, which hosted an online betting portal known as Easybet.
“EasyGroup and Sir Stelios have today achieved another victory in their efforts to put an end to the infringing activities of brand thieves against the Easy Brand family,” the group said.
