Grammy-winning American singer John Legend has shared bizarre new details about the legal obstacles he faced to secure his iconic stage name, revealing he had to negotiate an exclusive agreement with a porn producer who also used the name “Legend.”
Speaking on the MGM+ show Words + Music, the 46-year-old star recounted the surprising legal hurdle he faced after poet J. Ivy conceived the name for him.
The Johnny Legend Dilemma
The complexity arose because the porn producer, known as Johnny Legend, also had an interest in the music business, which created the possibility of a trademark infringement case.
“And lo and behold,” Legend said, “There’s a porn producer – I kid you not – a porn producer who dabbled in rockabilly music, and he went by the name Johnny Legend.”
“The fact that he made music, rockabilly music, and his name was Johnny Legend, meant that there was a possible trademark infringement case,” he continued.
The Mutually Exclusive Deal
To resolve the dispute and secure his stage name legally, Legend’s team had to locate the producer and strike a precise, mutually exclusive deal.
“We had to find Johnny Legend, negotiate with him, cut a mutually exclusive deal stating that he was Johnny Legend, and I was John Legend,” he explained.
The agreement was comprehensive, ensuring neither party encroached on the other’s industry space:
“He wouldn’t sue me. I wouldn’t sue him. He wouldn’t try to get into the soul music business pretending to be John Legend. And I’m happy to make clear that I kept my side of the agreement. I didn’t produce any porn, didn’t make any rockabilly music pretending to be Johnny Legend.”
The humorous yet true story highlights the unusual legal realities of the entertainment industry, where a musician’s career trajectory can hinge on negotiations with an unlikely industry peer.
Source: Daily Mail UK
Related Posts:
Nkechi Blessing Emotional After Gym Photo Taken Without Consent Goes Viral for Body Shaming
P-Square Legal Battle: EFCC Lacks Evidence for $800K Fraud Claim Against Jude and Paul Okoye
OAP Dotun Accuses US Embassy of Aiding Child Abduction, Violating Court Order
