Battle of 2 Lady As Is Heating Up

The legal battle between the Lady As is heating up. Lady A the singer is countersuing Lady A the band, which changed its name from Lady Antebellum earlier this year because of that name's association with slavery. The lawsuit from Anita White, a Black Seattle-based blues singer who has used the Lady A name for decades, says the country band's use of the name has resulted in "lost sales, diminished brand identity, and diminution in the value of and goodwill associated with the mark," the BBC reports. The lawsuit states that after the band's name change, online searches for Lady A became dominated by references to the band. "Ms. White's Lady A brand had been usurped and set on the path to erasure."

The band and the singer had a meeting in June that they both described as "very positive," but things went downhill afterward. The band filed a lawsuit against White in July, asking for a court to "affirm their right" to the Lady A name, which they trademarked in 2010. They said White had demanded $10 million, half of which was to go to charities. "Five million dollars is nothing, and I’m actually worth more than that, regardless of what they think,” she told Vulture at the time. “But here we go again with another white person trying to take something from a Black person, even though they say they’re trying to help." White's lawsuit seeks undisclosed damages, sole use of the name Lady A, and a "reasonable royalty fee for any sales of music or musical performances rendered under the Lady A mark." (More Lady Antebellum stories.)