One Love and The Wailers Trademark Dispute

Here's an interesting article on BobMarley.com discussing the adaptation of the classic reggae anthem "One Love" as the tourism theme for Jamaica.

"One Love," which adapts several lines from Curtis Mayfield's "People Get Ready," was originally recorded in 1965 by Bob alongside fellow Wailers Bunny Wailer and Peter Tosh and was produced by Coxsone Dodd for his legendary Studio One label featuring the jaunty tempo that typified the era's ska music. However, much better known is the more melodic interpretation of "One Love" that was included on Bob's 1977 album Exodus (cited as Time magazine's Album of the Century). With its slower reggae beat and cheerily plunked piano chords, the Exodus rendition of "One Love" was selected by the Jamaican Tourist Board as its theme song in the early 90s and continues to be used by the organization to promote the island within the competitive travel industry.

"One Love" symbolizes the message of Jamaica to the world through tourism as we seek to promote peace and harmony and tolerance of all people," explains David Shields, Deputy Director of the Jamaica Tourist Board. "The song has been used repeatedly by the tourist board to promote Jamaica and in recent research, our consumers have indicated that not only does the song resonate positively but as a destination Jamaica resonates positively through the song. So Bob Marley's iconic presence and his music continues to represent Jamaica and our work in a positive way and in all of our campaigns we continue to use 'One Love' and reggae as one of our unique selling propositions to the world."

On a somewhat-related note comes news from a Seattle Trademark Lawyer, reporting on a recent lawsuit filed in the United States by an American rock band called The Wailers. They've been performing as "The Wailers" since 1959, and they registered their band name as a trademark in 2003. Now they complain about the registration of the domain name wailers.com and allege that The Wailers in Jamaica have infringed and diluted their trademark for the band name and are causing confusion among music lovers everywhere.

The Wailers was a ska, rocksteady and reggae group formed in Kingston, Jamaica in 1963, consisting of Junior Braithwaite, Beverley Kelso, Bunny Livingston (aka Bunny Wailer), Bob Marley, Peter McIntosh (aka Peter Tosh), and Cherry Smith. They were called variously The Teenagers, The Wailing Rudeboys, The Wailing Wailers, and finally The Wailers.

Hmmm...wonder what Bunny Wailer would think about all this.

What your hands do, it's your own eyes that 've seen. So, won't you judge your actions, to make sure the results are clean? It's your own conscience, that is gonna remind you, that it's your heart, and nobody else's, that is gonna judge. So, be not selfish, in your doings, pass it on. Help your brothers, in their needs, pass it on. Live for yourself, you will live in vain. Live for others, you will live again.

Peace. One Love.