Source: Jon Kopaloff / Getty
Nobody wins when the family feuds…especially over business.
TMZ is reporting that Rudolph Isley, a founding member of The Isley Brothers, has filed a lawsuit against his younger brother, Ron Isley, accusing him of filing the trademark for the family band’s name and taking all of the profits for himself.
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Rudolph, who retired from music in 1989, claims that he and Ron are supposed to split all profits from the band. He says that they’ve had 50/50 ownership since their brother, O’Kelly Isley, passed in 1986. However, Rudolph says that Ron recently went rogue.
In the documents, Rudolph says Ron applied for and was granted the exclusive rights for the band name to use for “visual recordings and audiovisual recordings featuring music and animation.” This was approved back in August, but Rudolph says that Ron needs his approval to cut that deal.
Ron allegedly applied to put the trademark in his name back in November 2021, but Rudolph says that they previously split all the profits, including a multi-million dollar publishing deal. Now, Rudolph wants the judge to order an accounting of how much money Ron has made since the trademark switch.
Furthermore, Rudolph wants the court to declare him as joint owner of “The Isley Brothers” name and for Ron to give him half of any money that he has made off the trademark.
At press time, a rep for Ron Isley cannot be reached.
The legendary Isley Brothers have over 18 million recordings sold in the US alone. They have reached Billboard 100 in five different decades. They also have a Lifetime Grammy Award and have been admitted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. They are arguably one of the most influential R&B groups to ever make music.
Let’s keep the Isley Brothers and their family in our prayers as they work through their trying times.
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Rudolph Isley Sues Brother Ron Over ‘Isley Brothers’ Trademark was originally published on foxync.com
