Ozzy sues ex-bandmate

The rock legend is to sue one of his former bandmates...

10:34 01 June 2009

Rock star Ozzy Osbourne is to sue one of his former bandmates over royalty payments.

Tony Iommi, the guitarist from Black Sabbath, is being sued by Ozzy for falsely claiming to have the sole rights to the band's name - costing him royalties from merchandise sales.

Ozzy is seeking unspecified damages, lost profits and a declaration he is a half-owner of the trademark.

Iommi claims Ozzy legally relinquished rights to the band's name in the 1980s and had officially registered the Black Sabbath trademark in the US in 2000.

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Ozzy issued a statement saying: "Tony, I am so sorry it's had to get to this point by me having to take this action against you.

"We've all worked too hard and long in our careers to allow you to sell merchandise that features all our faces, old Black Sabbath album covers and band logos, and then you tell us that you own the copyright."

He believes that by taking action, it is the first step to enable the four original members to share the band's name equally.