The Isley Brothers are an American family musical group originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, that began as a vocal trio consisting of brothers O’Kelly “Kelly” Isley Jr., Rudolph Isley, and Ronald Isley in the late 1950s.
Why are the Isley Brothers suing each other?
In a ruling Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Thomas M. Durkin refused to dismiss Rudolph Isley’s lawsuit, which accuses brother Ronald Isley of improperly attempting to secure a federal trademark registration on the “The Isley Brothers” – a name Rudolph claims is supposed to be jointly owned.
In legal documents obtained by EW, Rudolph’s legal team is seeking a judicial declaration that states “The Isley Brothers” trademark is “jointly owned” by both him and Ronald “equally” and asks the judge to require Ronald to pay him his “share of all proceeds” earned from it.
Alongside their older brother O’Kelly Isley, Rudolph and Ronald formed the Isley Brothers in 1954. Throughout the years, Rudolph claimed that the band operated as an “equal partnership under the sole ownership, direction, and control of its founding members,” with the three brothers splitting all expenses, profits, and control of the business even as their lineup grew.