Alternative Indie band Easy Life say they have been left “virtually powerless” as they face a lawsuit over their name by the holding group behind easyJet – whose founder has called the musicians “brand thieves”.
The critically acclaimed Leicester band, who formed in 2017 and have had two Top 10 albums, say they are being forced to change their name “or take up a costly legal battle which we could never afford”.
Responding to a request from Sky News for comment, founder and chairman Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou described Easy Life frontman Murray Matravers as a “brand thief”. He added that his company has “a long established record to legally stopping brand thieves and I am confident we will stop Mr Matravers”.
easyGroup is the parent company for easyJet airlines and other brands. Pic: AP/Armando Franca
In a filing submitted to the High Court, seen by Sky News, easyGroup claims it “has suffered and/or is likely to suffer loss and damage” as a result of the band’s name, as easyLife is among its family brands. The lawsuit states that the financial value of the claim cannot currently be estimated, but it is considered to be “substantial”.
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Posting a statement on social media, Easy Life said: “We’ve worked hard to establish our brand and I’m certain in no way have we ever affected their business.
“Although we find this whole situation hilarious, we are virtually powerless against such a massive corporation.”
easyGroup is the owner of the family of brands under the easy name. It is the private investment vehicle for easyJet’s founder, Sir Stelios, but each of the brands, including easyJet and easyHotel, are separate companies.
In their court filing, they say the easylife catalogue retailer is a licensed brand.
The easyGroup, which was set up in 1998 by Sir Stelios, has previously taken legal action against a number of companies over the use of the “easy” brand. It has a section of its website entitled “brand thieves”, which includes details of its legal battles over the name.