LOS ANGELES (CN) - The Red Hot Chili Peppers and its four members claim Showtime Networks competes unfairly and dilutes their trademarked song and album name, "Californication," on a cable TV show of the same name. The band also sued Twilight Time Films, Aggressive Mediocrity, and executive producer Tom Kapinos.
The band members - Anthony Kiedis, Chad Smith, John Frusciante and Michael "Flea" Balzary - say they registered the song and album name "Californication" with BMI when the album came out in 1999. The album sold 14 million copies, was nominated for a Grammy, and songs from it have been played on the radio more than 1 million times, the band says.
The band claims the recently released cable show also features a character named "Dani California," which is "also the name of a character who is the subject of or mentioned in three Red Hot Chili Pepper songs ... including the Composition (Californication)."
They also claim the defendants use the trademark to advertise the show, and to draw hits on the Internet. The band demands accounting, disgorgement, an injunction and punitive damages. It is represented in Superior Court by Justin Ehrlich with Ian Herzog's law office.
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