Vice Sends Cease-and-Desist Letter to Indie Band ViceVersa

Vice Media has ordered an unsigned band to change its name, Huffington Post reports. The company, which is reportedly worth billions of dollars, sent a cease-and-desist letter to Los Angeles trio ViceVersa arguing the band’s name and logo are too much like Vice’s. The December letter, which was independently obtained by Pitchfork, said the band was “infringing on the exclusive rights held by Vice Media” and was “likely to confuse consumers.” In November, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office had reportedly signed off on ViceVersa guitarist Christopher Morales’ application to trademark the band’s name.

Citing “unauthorized use of Vice Media’s intellectual property,” the letter demanded the band quit using its name, shut down all of its online presences, and stop selling any merch with “ViceVersa” on it. What’s more, Vice Media called on the band to provide documented revenues for its nearly four years of existence. Otherwise, the letter said, Morales might be hit with “claims for injunctive relief and monetary damages.”

A ViceVersa representative told Pitchfork the band’s lawyer responded to the letter “with an offer to remedy the infringement claim.” The representative said, “Vice never responded, but instead filed a letter of opposition with the USPTO in March trying to stop the band’s trademark filing.”

A Vice Media spokesperson told the Huffington Post the band’s trademark filing “overlaps with the scope of our already existing federal trademark. This is a standard, cut-and-dry trademark matter and we are not involved in litigation with this band.”

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