Trademark-Infringement Dispute Over BLACK SABBATH trademark Settled Between Ozzy Osbourne and Tony Iommi

British lead vocalist Ozzy Osbourne and guitarist Tony Iommi of the heavy metal band Black Sabbath recently reached an agreement over a trademark ownership dispute that can trace its roots to back to 1980, however the most recent contentions arose in 2008. The dispute between Ozzy and Iommi was over ownership of the BLACK SABBATH trademark. The two former bandmates began working towards an agreement back in May after they attended the funeral of their mutual friend, vocalist Ronnie James Dio. Since then, they reached an agreement and very recently they jointly issued this press release;

"Ozzy Osbourne and Tony Iommi of the legendary heavy metal band have amicably resolved their problems over the ownership of the legendary band's name and court proceedings in New York have been discontinued. Both parties are glad to put this behind them and to cooperate together for the future and would like it to be known that the issue was never personal, it was always business."

Contention over ownership rights to the trademark was instigated back in December 2008 when Iommi filed a trademark-infringement lawsuit against Signature Network over the latter’s sale of unlicensed ‘Black Sabbath’ Merchandise. The suit caught the attention of Osbourne because in his complaint Iommi referenced a document dated June 30, 1980 which stated that Osbourne and his company, Monowise, Ltd;