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The luxury label Chrome Hearts has withdrawn its copyright lawsuit against Neil Young and his backing band of the same name.
The submission left it open whether a settlement was reached between the two parties or whether the lawsuit was dropped without an agreement
In September 2025 – a few months after Young and his then-new band released their first album, Talkin to the Trees – Chrome Hearts (the brand) sued Young and the Chrome Hearts (the band).
The company said it had not granted a license nor given Young “any form of permission to use Chrome Hearts’ intellectual property.” The fashion label has existed since the late eighties, while Young only formed the band under this name at the end of 2024.
By not only using the Chrome Hearts name but also producing and selling merchandise labeled “Neil Young and the Chrome Hearts,” Young and his band members were “likely to cause confusion” in the marketplace, according to the lawsuit.
Lawsuit voluntarily dropped
Before the dispute could go to court, however, Chrome Hearts said in a filing Thursday that it was voluntarily withdrawing its lawsuit against Young and the band Billboard reported. The submission left it open whether a settlement was reached between the two parties or whether the lawsuit was dropped without an agreement.
Despite the ongoing legal battle, Young and the Chrome Hearts had continued to operate under that name, playing a number of concerts together before Young canceled the entire 2026 tour. As part of the recent Record Store Day, Young and the Chrome Hearts released their live album “As Time Explodes”; Young has also finished recording a second studio album with the band.
