Ozzy Osbourne is suing former original Black Sabbath guitar player, Tony Iommi, for half of the rights to the band’s name, which he claims Iommi has been using illegally.
According to court documents filed in Manhattan, the trademark is not legally owned by Iommi, who has been making a profit off of it for several years. The documents also point out that the drop in popularity of Black Sabbath after Ozzy’s departure in the eighties is proof that he was a large part of the success, and so deserves half of the trademark royalties. Osbourne is also seeking a cut of the profits that Iommi earned while touring under the Black Sabbath name in the 1990s when the band was in disarray after numerous changes to their lineup.
Osbourne said in a statement that he was sorry he had gone to the court over the dispute with Iommi which he said he had tried for three years to resolve amicably.
