FKA Twigs has filed a lawsuit against indie band The Twigs. What the trademark dispute over the artist’s name is about and what is required.
FKA Twigs wants to go to court. The singer has filed a lawsuit against indie band The Twigs.
A long legal battle
The legal dispute between the two parties has been dragging on for a long time. FKA Twigs previously used the stage name Twigs. She was then sued by the band The Twigs, who officially own the Twigs brand.
The two front women, Laura and Linda Good, sent the well-known artist repeated cease and desist notices and wanted to secure the name for their band. Barnett offered them $15,000 to both be allowed to coexist with the names. Laura and Linda Good declined this offer. Singer Tahliah Barnett then renamed herself FKA Twigs to escape the legal battle.
Unequal notoriety
She built her career under the name FKA Twigs, while the band The Twigs disappeared from the scene. In comparison: FKA Twigs has around 3.2 million monthly listeners, while The Twigs only has around 25. It is therefore unlikely that the two musicians can be confused with each other.
Renewed trademark claims 2024
In 2024, the indie band dared to make trademark claims to the name again and threatened the singer with legal disputes and a ban on using the trademark. The Twigs are reportedly demanding a payout worth millions. Barnett then filed a lawsuit to obtain usage rights and registration of the FKA Twigs trademark.
Origin of the name
The singer FKA Twigs used the stage name Twigs before her career as a singer, when she was still primarily known as a background dancer and before she released her debut EP. It goes back to a nickname she received. Twigs means branches in German. The singer’s joints are said to have always cracked like twigs when warming up, which is why she was called that.
The indie band The Twigs, consisting of twin sisters Laura and Linda Good, also used their childhood nickname Twigs as their band name. Her songs could be heard in “Eiskalte Engel 3”, among others. The two have been active since the 1990s and are particularly well known in the alternative pop scene in Chicago.
Not the first name change
FKA Twigs isn’t the first artist to have to change her name due to a legal dispute. The American band Blink-182 originally also went under the name Blink until they were rejected by an Irish group of the same name. After the name change, there were no further conflicts. The British band Easy Life also had to change its name after being sued by EasyGroup – the parent company of the airline easyJet.
Barnett already has a new stage name and is significantly more famous than The Twigs, so the legal battle will probably end in a positive way for them.
The artist is currently on her “Body High” world tour. She will also play a show in Berlin on June 12th.
