A band in Philadelphia with the same-named Jelly Roll has sued the country singer, claiming that he violated its trademark and caused “irreparable damage” to their business.
The lawsuit filed last week claims that the wedding and charity band Jellyroll has owned the trademark Jellyroll since 1980 and has used the name for four years before the 39-year-old singer.
The lawsuit states that “the Plaintiff, professionally known by Jellyroll, has provided musical and vocal accompaniment to celebratory and charity events in the Delaware Valley, and now throughout the Northeast of the United States, since at least 1980. This includes, among other events, two appearances for President George W. Bush, and his family, at the White House.”
“Conversely Defendant who was born in Antioch, Tennessee in 1984, claims in a published interview that his mother called him Jelly Roll when he was a young child.”
The lawsuit claims that Jelly Roll’s popularity has ruined its Google presence and caused confusion about who is playing at what event in the northeast.
“Before Defendant’s recent rise in notoriety, a search of the name of Jellyroll on most search engines, and particularly Google, returned references to Plaintiff,” the lawsuit says. “Now, any such search on Google returns multiple references to Defendant, perhaps as many as 18-20 references before any reference to Plaintiff’s entertainment dance band known as Jellyroll® can be found.
The unapologetic conduct of the defendant, which continues to infringe on trademarks, will cause confusion, misinformation, and deception for consumers unless this Court enjoins it.
In the lawsuit, the band claims that Jellyroll’s team emailed them to discuss the cease-and-desist notice sent by the group.
The lawsuit states, “At one point, Defendant’s attorney inquired whether Defendant was really in competition with Plaintiff.”
The lawsuit claims that Jelly Roll’s imprisonment for felony robbery has damaged the band’s image by association.
The suit states that “due to Defendant’s troubled history, which includes a felony and prison sentence, such an association, as averred, has caused additional damage to Plaintiff in the public and the trade.”
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Jelly Roll became famous with his album “Ballad of the Broken” in 2021, but he had been making music for many years before that.
Jelly Roll told Fox News Digital that he had always believed God had a greater purpose in mind for his career.
The musician was born into a turbulent family and spent time in prison before he could graduate from high school. He was in prison when he turned 14 and had his daughter Bailee while still in jail.
Jelly Roll has since gotten his life on track and has full custody of Bailee and raises her with his wife, Bunnie Xo. Bunnie, a former sex worker, and Jelly Roll tied the knot in 2016.
The singer won three awards at the CMT Music Awards 2024 on April 7.
