ABBA have settled their lawsuit against the UK tribute act ABBA MANIA, who they’d initially targeted last month for trademark infringement.
In a suit filed on December 3, the Swedish icons described the cover band’s behaviour as “parasitic and bad-faith”, claiming that ABBA MANIA were intentionally misleading fans into believing they’re endorsed by the real group. It was said in the lawsuit that ABBA gave ABBA MANIA an opportunity to change their name, but ABBA MANIA refused.
As reported by Billboard, the two groups have now reached a formal settlement. The terms of their accord are unknown to the public, however, with a filing made by ABBA’s attorneys – representing law firm Fross Zelnick Lehrman & Zissu PC – scant on details. One of the attorneys reportedly confirmed to Billboard that the offending group have agreed to stop using the ABBA name.
ABBA MANIA – billed as “the original tribute from London’s West End” – describe their live show as a “highly polished and professional production”. The group have not publicly acknowledged the lawsuit made against them, and made a post to social media using their unchanged name yesterday (January 20).
ABBA returned with their first album in 40 years, ‘Voyage’, last November. It quickly went to Number One in the UK, and became the fastest-selling vinyl of the century. The record was certified Platinum last month, and earned the group their first ever Grammy nomination (for Record of the Year).
The legendary quartet will showcase ‘Voyage’ at a string of “revolutionary” concerts at London’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in 2022. Earlier this year, the event’s producers spoke to NME about what to expect from the “magical space circus”.
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“The foundation of this is the five weeks they spent in the motion capture studio where they performed each song over and over again, and we recorded every moment and all the tiny nuances,” said producer Ludvig Andersson (son of ABBA’s Benny Andersson).
“It was a surreal experience to have these 75-year-old ABBA stars in these suits with nearly 200 people watching.”
The spectacle was put together by former Klaxons member James Righton and features Little Boots (a self-confessed ABBA “mega-fan”) in its cast of live musicians.