LOS ANGELES (CNS) - Los Angeles rock band Guns N' Roses sued an online gun store called Texas Guns and Roses for unspecified damages today, alleging in federal court that the seller is attempting to con consumers into believing that the website is associated with the band.
The lawsuit, obtained by City News Service, alleges that Texas company Jersey Village Florist operates the online store texasgunsandroses.com -- selling firearms and firearm accessories, including ammunition, scopes and body armor through the mail -- ``without GNR's approval, license or consent.''
The plaintiffs allege that Jersey Village Florist ``selected and
adopted defendant's marks for the purpose of confusing consumers into believing that it was connected or associated with, or licensed by, GNR.''
Lawyers for Guns N' Roses further allege that the defendant purports to sell roses and other flowers as a contrivance to try and justify the ``wholesale appropriation'' of the Guns N' Roses trademark. However, the lawsuit says that Jersey Village Florist does not seem to market flowers for sale on the Houston, Texas-based website.
Messages left with the online shop seeking comment were not
immediately answered.
GNR says it became aware of the name Texas Guns and Roses in October 2019. Several months later, lawyers for the band sent a cease-and-desist letter requesting that the defendant voluntarily cancel its registration of the name.
But Jersey Village Florist continues to use the name and ``intentionally trade on GNR's goodwill, prestige and fame without GNR's approval, license or consent,'' according to the complaint.
``This is particularly damaging to GNR given the nature of defendant's business,'' the lawsuit contends. ``GNR, quite reasonably, does not want to be associated with the defendant, a firearms and weapons retailer. Furthermore, the defendant espouses political views related to the regulation and control of firearms and weapons on the website that may be polarizing to many U.S. consumers.''
The suit seeks unspecified damages and a court order prohibiting theuse of the website name.
GNR's general partners are listed as Axl Rose, Saul ``Slash'' Hudson and Michael ``Duff'' McKagan. The band formed in Los Angeles in 1985, and signed to Geffen Records the following year. Having sold over 100 million records worldwide, GNR is one of the biggest selling acts in history.
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