Last month when I heard that Herb Reed of the Platters had died and was reminded that he had waged a fairly protracted legal battle over the use of the Platters name, I thought back to an entry I did about the question of who owns a band’s name.
At the time, there were over 80 groups listed performing under the Platters name and a number of people, including Reed claiming ownership. There was a push for truth in music laws to keep imposter bands but as noted in my entry and the NPR story I link to, it isn’t always very easy to determine who has the most valid ownership claim.
As something of a postscript to my original entry, Reed was ultimately successful in exerting his claim as the sole original member.
"Though while the author wishes they could buy it in Walmart..." Who is "they"? The kids? The author? Something else?…