In other courtroom dramas, two former bandmembers of Sublime have been prohibited from performing under their old band’s name, as it was trademarked by late lead singer Bradley Nowell. Nowell died of a drug overdose in 1996 and the remaining band members, Eric Wilson and Bud Gaugh, have continued to perform as the Long Beach Dub Allstars. Their recent move to reclaim their old band name, following the recruitment of a new lead singer, Rome Ramirez, met with the wrath of Nowell’s family, who filed a trademark infringement suit on behalf of the Bradley Nowell estate on October 21 in Los Angeles.

Taking to Sublime’s MySpace page, the family stated: “Prior to his untimely passing, both Bud and Eric acknowledged that Brad Nowell was the sole owner of the name Sublime. It was Brad’s expressed intention that no one use the name Sublime in any group that did not include him, and Brad even registered the trademark ‘Sublime’ under his own name.”

Judge Howard Matz sided with the family, and issued an injunction on Tuesday against Wilson and Gaugh. Guess that clears this up, huh?

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