Ozzy Osbourne is suing Tony Iommi and the rest of the members from Black Sabbath for using the bands name for a couple years when touring without him. Iommi, Ward and Butler are now touring with Ronnie James Dio under the name “Heaven and Hell” – for this very reason. However, Ozzy is claiming that his lawsuit is for “integrity” reasons – because he wants the bands legacy to be held in tact.
“Since 1997 when Geezer, Bill (Ward, the group’s original drummer) and myself rejoined the band, Black Sabbath has returned to its former glory as we headlined sold-out arenas and amphitheatres playing to upwards of 50,000 people at each show around the world. We worked collectively to restore credibility and bring dignity back to the name ‘Black Sabbath,’ which lead to the band being inducted into the UK and US Rock & Roll Hall of Fames in 2005 and 2006, respectively…Tony, I am so sorry it’s had to get to this point by me having to take this action against you. I don’t have the right to speak for Geezer and Bill, but I feel that morally and ethically the trademark should be owned by the four of us equally. I hope that by me taking this first step that it will ultimately end up that way. 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. We’re all in our 60s now. The Black Sabbath legacy should live on long after we have all gone. Please do the right thing.”
I guess I can kind of understand that logic. Sabbath will always be known for the Ozzy era lineup, and touring under the bands name seems a bit, hollow. Especially if they were selling merchandise with his face on it. As as far as Integrity goes, Ozzy knows a lot about that.
