Pearl Jam Tribute Band Change Name to Legal Jam After Cease-and-Desist
It was recently revealed that U.K. Pearl Jam tribute band Pearl Jamm had received a cease-and-desist letter from the group's legal team. Now the tribute band has decided to change their name while also speaking out about the response that the story has provided.
"We appear to have set the Internet on fire this week and it’s time to extinguish the flames," state the group. "A name doesn’t define us. We do what we do out of love and respect for Pearl Jam. We have always been clear that we will ‘Yield’ to Pearl Jam’s demands and equally clear that our disappointment was only ever of the timing and manner in which those demands were made."
They continue, "We are proud to announce our new name: ‘LEGAL JAM’ which we thought would be fitting and under which we will continue to perform the music of Pearl Jam in the most heartfelt and authentic way. We look forward to reconnecting with our own fans (and other tributes) who have been so supportive through this as well welcoming the new fans who have joined us over the last week, as soon as we are back on the road." The message was signed by Santi, Richard, Matt, Tim and Andy, the members of the group.
The story was brought to light by BBC News who had interviewed the group. According to the legal work, the band had been accused of "damaging the Pearl Jam brand and causing confusion" amongst fans.
The tribute band issued their own statement after receiving the letter, calling the move "out of character" for Pearl Jam and "unreasonable," but stating that their love for Pearl Jam's music still endured.
As stated, the newly named Legal Jam will continue to salute Pearl Jam and their music in the "most heartfelt and authentic way."