Kid Rock has renamed his Greatest Show on Earth Tour due to a lawsuit from Feld Entertainment, which owns Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. The group has a trademark on the phrase “Greatest Show on Earth,” and in December filed a federal lawsuit in Florida and asked a judge to stop Rock from using the phrase.
In a statement submitted to the court (via Amplify), Kid Rock revealed that he’ll change his tour name to American Rock ‘n’ Roll Tour 2018.
“While I firmly believe that I am entitled under the First Amendment to name my tour after my song,” Rock writes, “I have changed the tour name because I do not want this lawsuit to distract me or my fans from focusing on what is important in my upcoming tour — my music.”
Rock took the original name of his tour from a song off his latest album, Sweet Southern Sugar, called “Greatest Show on Earth.” While the country-rocker’s lawyer reiterates that his tour has nothing to do with the Ringling Bros. and he has renamed the tour, Feld Entertainment won’t drop the suit and plan to pursue it in court, according to Amplify.
The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus closed its 146-year run last May. Kid Rock released his album six months later and announced the tour to coincide with his album release. In a lawsuit filed in U.S. district court in Tampa, Fla., on Dec. 22, Feld Entertainment accused Kid Rock and concert promoter Live Nation of trademark dilution and infringement, unfair competition, injury to business reputation and unjust enrichment, according to Reuters, who obtained court documents.
Said Feld’s general counsel, Lisa Joiner, at the time: “We have authorized licensees for Ringling Bros. and the Greatest Show on Earth, but Kid Rock is not one of them.”
This Article Was Originally Posted at www.TasteofCountry.com
http://tasteofcountry.com/kid-rock-tour-lawsuit-greatest-show-on-earth/
