Guns N' Roses has filed a lawsuit against a Texas gun shop that uses the same name as the band. The company, Jersey Village Florist, runs the online store Texas Guns and Roses, which could confuse consumers and lead them to associate it with the band.
“This is particularly damaging to Guns N’ Roses given the nature of the defendant’s business. Guns N’ Roses, quite rightly, does not want to be associated with the defendant, an arms dealer. Furthermore, the defendant espouses political views related to the regulation and control of firearms and weapons on its website that may be polarizing many consumers in the United States,” the court documents state.
The same documents show that the rock band's representatives sent a cease and desist letter to the company in question in 2019, but it continued to use the band's image without authorization.
The lawsuit also cites the fact that the store sells roses as evidence of trademark infringement for Guns N' Roses.
The defense attorney for the Texas Guns and Roses store, David L. Clark , stated in an interview with City News Service : “There has never been any confusion and they have no evidence of confusion. This is an attempt to increase costs and exhaust us. Our client sells metal gun safes and flowers, has a complete website, and absolutely no one is confused. No one thinks we are the band or that there is any affiliation. We will be fighting back.”
While the legal process is still ongoing, Guns N' Roses is on tour. This meant that this wasn't the only controversy the group has been involved in. Recently, Axl Rose declared an end to the tradition of throwing the microphone into the audience at the end of shows after hitting a fan. Rebecca Howe suffered bruises around her eyes and cuts on her nose, even though she wasn't very close to the stage.
“What if it had been a few centimeters to the right or to the left? I could have lost an eye… What if it had hit me in the mouth and I had broken my teeth? If I had turned my head and it had hit me in the temple, it could have killed me,” the victim told the Adelaide Advertiser .
READ ALSO: The day Axl Rose explained “Mr. Brownstone” in court: “We have a witness humming it”
