Sublime Band Name Is Now Illegal According To Judge

Sorry, Sublime fans. Sublime is no longer Sublime.

When former frontman, Bradley Nowell, died of an overdose back in 1996, the remaining two members, Eric Wilson and Bud Gaugh eventually moved on and performed under the name, Long Beach Dub Allstars. However, since they recruited new vocalist and frontman, Rome Ramiriz, they have begun to perform under the moniker, Sublime, once again.

This didn’t go over too well with Nowell’s family, and after expressing their opinions – the law has sided with the family and not the two original members.

According to Reuters, three days before the band’s performance on October 24th, Nowell’s estate (and his merchandising entity) set out to sue the remaining and new members for trademark infringement in court which took place in a Los Angeles court room.

Nowell’s family even went to post their feelings on the band’s MySpace page by stating:

“Prior to his untimely passing, both Bud and Eric acknowledged that Brad Nowell was the sole owner of the name Sublime. It was Brad’s expressed intention that no one use the name Sublime in any group that did not include him, and Brad even registered the trademark ‘Sublime’ under his own name.”

The judge they visited agreed in regards to “the estate’s likelihood of prevailing on its trademark claim” and asked the family to write up an injunction for him to sign. What he signed had the statements below:

“We are gratified the Court ruled in our favor and found that Bud, Eric and Rome could not use the name Sublime without first obtaining permission from Brad’s heirs. We believe this will help protect and preserve Brad’s musical legacy.”

So what does this mean, “Sublime” fans? Will they go back to Long Beach Dub Allstars moniker? We know one thing; they can’t introduce themselves to audiences as Sublime anymore. We know you “really wanna know….” but we’ll all have to wait and see.