Susan Wood/Getty ImagesA lemonade company’s attempt to capitalize on the late John Lennon has left a sour taste with Yoko Ono.
According to The Guardian, Ono has legally blocked a Polish company from selling a lemonade brand called “John Lemon.”
Specifically, the legal action referenced a Facebook post by John Lemon Ireland, showing a wall mural of Lennon holdings lemons with the band logo underneath. Other John Lemon advertising showed a pair of round glasses similar to those famously worn by the ex-Beatle, next to the words “Let It Be.”
Ono’s lawyer said, “They were abusing and misusing the legacy of John Lennon to sell their soda.”
The company, established five years ago to distribute to bars and restaurants in the United Kingdom and 13 other European countries, agreed to sell its stocks of John Lemon drinks by the end of October. It also agreed to change its name to On Lemon.
A lawyer for the firm representing John Lemon said the company registered its trademark in 2014, two years before the John Lennon brand was registered, but decided a settlement was better than risking having the product banned.
Karol Chamera, founder of John Lemon’s U.K. distributor, told the East London Advertiser, “All of us involved with this product are startups and we couldn’t take on someone who is worth many, many millions.”
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