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Indie band to change name after EasyJet legal action: “We simply don’t have the funds to access a fair trial in the high court”
“Essentially it’s David vs Goliath and our British legal system favours Goliath.”
Image: Luke Brennan / Getty Images
Indie band Easy Life are changing their name following legal action by easyGroup — the parent company of budget airline EasyJet.
The English five-piece revealed last week that the airline giant is “forcing” them to change their name, with the alternative being a “costly legal battle”.
In a new statement on their website, the band says that they will stop using the name from Friday (13 October) after a “whirlwind” 10 days.
“Having explored literally every possible avenue, we have realised that there are no good options available to us, and we need to change our name to move forward,” the statement read.
The members cite a lack of funds as the main reason they’ve decided against defending the lawsuit, saying: “Sadly, it seems that justice is only available to those who can afford it. We simply don’t have the funds to access a fair trial in the high court. Not to mention the fact that this would likely rattle on through to 2025, and with this hanging over us we wouldn’t be able to release any music in the meantime. Our careers, and indeed our lives, would be on hold.”
They added: “We’re not a nameless company; as you’ve seen, it’s our own personal names on the paperwork. This means that should we lose, the costs will be recouped from us personally. They could take everything; material possessions, our livelihoods, our homes.”
In an Instagram post, the band wrote: “It’s David vs Goliath and our British legal system favours Goliath.”
For those looking to catch the band before the name change, Easy Life’s final shows under their current moniker will take place in Leicester and London later this week.
Set up in 1998 by Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou, easyGroup owns the family of brands under the ‘easy’ name. In a statement released last week, the company accused Murray Matravers and his fellow bandmates of being “brand thieves”, saying “We have a long established record of legally stopping thieves from using our brands and I am confident we will stop Mr Matravers.”