Although Kid Rock recently changed the name of his 2018 tour due to a lawsuit from the owners of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, a court has granted him the right to call his trek the Greatest Show on Earth Tour. The circus owners’ request for an injunction has been denied.
According to Michigan newspaper the Daily Tribune, a U.S. federal district court judge in Florida ruled that Rock has the right to use the phrase “the Greatest Show on Earth” — trademarked by Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey owners Feld Entertainment Group — because Feld Entertainment did not prove that Rock’s use of the phrase would damage the circus’ reputation. However, Feld Entertainment is still suing Rock and Live Nation for copyright infringement.
Rock began his 2018 tour — originally the Greatest Show on Earth Tour, now the American Rock ‘n’ Roll Tour — on Jan. 19 in Nashville. It is unclear if he will change the tour’s name back to its original one now that the court has denied Feld Entertainment’s injunction. Both “Greatest Show on Earth” and “American Rock ‘n’ Roll” are songs on Rock’s newest album, Sweet Southern Sugar.
While the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus was taken off the tour circuit last year, after 146 years of touring, Feld Entertainment retained all intellectual property rights pertaining to the historic show, including its famous tagline. Felt Entertainment Group says that its trademarked tagline has been licensed out to other users before, but Rock did not submit a request. Their original lawsuit aimed to prevent Rock from using the tagline as a tour name or selling merchandise with the catchphrase.
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