Little-known Wollongong rockers Ruby Tuesdays are celebrating after a US restaurant chain of the same name backed down on a potential multimillion dollar lawsuit against the band.
The group were facing a $2 million legal threat from the Ruby Tuesday chain over their name, but the company has now abandoned the case.
A letter from Ruby Tuesday’s legal representatives, viewed by Fairfax Media, reads:
“As long as nothing on the band’s website substantially changes (eg the band does not sell any new merchandise that would infringe our client’s rights, for which our client reserves all rights), we are considering this matter closed.
“Thank you for your help in reaching a quick, amicable resolution to this matter… In the meantime, we wish the band the best of luck.”
Ruby Tuesdays celebrated their legal victory with a show in Wollongong on Wednesday night.
“I was like, ‘We won! We won!'” guitarist Shaun Snider told Fairfax Media.
“I was in a state of disbelief. Even though we thought they didn’t have a case, they’re still almost a billion-dollar company with 500 lawyers and we’re just five guys who got some legal advice.”
Despite both the band and Ruby Tuesday taking their names from the 1967 Rolling Stones song of the same name, the band received a legal notice from Ruby Tuesday’s representatives last month, asking the band to surrender its name, destroy its merchandise, transfer its web domain to “our client” and “compensate Ruby Tuesday for past sales”.
The band vowed to fight the challenge, lawyered up and gained media attention for their cause, which has clearly paid off.
Ruby Tuesdays have continued to release new music throughout the legal stoush, including their latest cut ‘Kill My Muse’, which you can check out below.
