Lady A, formerly Lady Antebellum, is suing veteran blues singer Anita White, who has been using Lady A as a stage moniker for decades. Originally Anita White was suing them, until she demanded 10 million dollars from the band and that’s when negotiations broke down over the use of the name Lady A.
Band members Hillary Scott, Charles Kelley, and David Haywood are seeking a declaratory judgment that would allow them to use the name without infringing on any of White’s trademark rights. They are not seeking any monetary damages.
The lawsuit said that the band has long gone by Lady A informally and that White did not oppose any previous applications for the Lady A mark, nor did she seek to cancel any of the Lady A registrations or seek the trademark for herself until now.
In a statement, the band said, “When we learned that Ms. White had also been performing under the name Lady A, we had heartfelt discussions with her about how we can all come together and make something special and beautiful out of this moment. We never even entertained the idea that she shouldn’t also be able to use the name Lady A, and never will — today’s action doesn’t change that.”
Following the global protests over the death of George Floyd, the band announced last month that it would be dropping Antebellum from their name, due to its connection to slavery during that time period.
