Van Halen have produced almost as many ex-wives as they have albums, and that's beginning to catch up with them. Drummer Alex's ex Kelly Van Halen (née Carter) has been ticking off the group and its legal counsel since 2013, when they sued her for attempting to use the "Van Halen" name for her design company.
The legal headache lasted until this week, when band lawyers informed the judge presiding over the case that they had settled with Kelly's camp.
Her attorney, Daniel DeCarlos, informed the Hollywood Reporter (via Blabbermouth) of the following: She can use her full name for her businesses, but has agreed to stay away from any music-related services that might tread upon the band's ground. Additionally, says DeCarlos, "What she is going to do is to use Kelly Van Halen with another word like 'Designer Originals by Kelly Van Halen.'"
Last March, the group was clearly concerned by Kelly's use of the name when they presented a case statement.
"The questions for the jury are whether the use of KELLY VAN HALEN for certain kinds of apparel products will confuse consumers with the rock band VAN HALEN," it read. "The jury will also be asked to consider whether the mark VAN HALEN is famous and if so, whether the Defendant's use of her own name as a trademark will somehow tarnish or blur the alleged distinctiveness of Plaintiff's mark."
Kelly and Alex divorced in 1996, at which point almost all of the current Van Halen discography had been released. Since then, they've only managed 1998's Van Halen III (with Gary Cherone) and 2012's A Different Kind of Truth (with David Lee Roth), neither of which were able to hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200, as the group's previous four efforts had.
Check out "Tattoo" from the latter release:
