Guns N' Roses have been in our headlines a few times in the past week, first after Axl Rose told audiences to leave their drones at home when they come to their shows. Then, a couple days later, Rose said he'd stop throwing mics after an Australian woman caught one to the face. Here's another GN'R news item for you: They're suing a Texas gun store that sells guns and roses.
Texas Guns And Roses, which is based out of Houston and bills itself as the "largest online firearms and accessories mall," sells mostly guns but also has a handful of roses up for sale, hence the name. As USA Today reports, a lawsuit was recently filed on behalf of the band against the store for tarnishing their brand name, noting that it's "likely to cause confusion with the GUNS N’ ROSES mark, falsely suggested a connection with GNR, and was likely to dilute the GUNS N’ ROSES mark."
"This is particularly damaging to GNR given the nature of Defendant’s business," the suit goes on. "GNR, quite reasonably, does not want to be associated with Defendant, a firearms and weapons retailer. Furthermore, Defendant espouses political views related to the regulation and control of firearms and weapons on the Website that may be polarizing to many U.S. consumers."
Guns N' Roses first learned that Texas Guns And Roses was using a similar name in October 2019, and filed a cease-and-desist letter the following February, which went unanswered, as did a follow-up that was sent a few months after that. The store registered for a trademark in 2016 -- the band has also petitioned the U.S. Patent And Trade Office to cancel that trademark.
