Steve Jones and Paul Cook, former members of the Sex Pistols , have filed a lawsuit against John Lydon , better known as Johnny Rotten , for licensing the group's music for the new TV series Pistol . The series, which is scheduled for release next year, will have six episodes directed by Danny Boyle.
The duo wants to use the group's songs for the biographical series, but Lydon tried to block the decision because he wasn't called in as a consultant for the project, something he considered "disrespectful."
However, a London court ruled, based on the terms of an agreement reached by the members in 1988, that no musician has veto power over licensing rights, which can be granted by a majority vote, according to The Guardian.
Lydon's lawyer argued in court documents that the series portrays the artist "in a very unflattering way," depicting him as "the annoying brat." Lydon had previously objected to the Jones biography that served as inspiration for the series. According to him, Lonely Boy: Tales From a Sex Pistol speaks of him "in a hostile and unpleasant manner."
In a statement, Jones and Cook wrote: “[The court’s decision] brings clarity to our decision-making and upholds the band members’ agreement on collective decision-making. It hasn’t been a pleasant experience, but we believe it was necessary to allow us to move forward and hopefully work together in the future with better relations.”
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