Johnny Marr And Morrissey’s Feud Over The Smiths Trademark And A Reunion Tour Took Another Ugly Turn

Morrissey and Johnny Marr are the thorns in each other’s sides.

On Monday , Morrissey wrote in a blog post titled “THE PLOT THICKENS” that his former The Smiths bandmate “successfully applied for 100% trademark rights / Intellectual Property ownership of The Smiths name.” He added, “Amongst many other things, this means that Marr can now tour as The Smiths using the vocalist of his choice, and it also prohibits Morrissey from using the name whilst also denying Morrissey considerable financial livelihood.”

Marr and his management team fired back in a statement obtained by Variety . It begins, “Recent statements made by Morrissey on his website regarding the trademark of the Smiths’ name are incorrect.” In 2018, Marr claims, he reached out to Morrissey to “work together in protecting The Smiths’ name” after it was discovered that the trademark wasn’t owned by anyone in the group (Andy Rourke, who passed away in 2023, and Mike Joyce are the other members). When Morrissey allegedly didn’t respond, Marr registered for the trademark himself and it was “subsequently agreed with Morrissey’s lawyers that this trademark was held for the mutual benefit of Morrissey & Marr.”

The statement also includes a direct quote from Marr: “To prevent third parties from profiting from the band’s name, it was left to me to protect the legacy. This I have done on behalf of both myself and my former bandmates,” he said. “As for the offer to tour, I didn’t ignore the offer – I said no.”

You can read the full thing below.

A statement from Johnny Marr’s management:

Recent statements made by Morrissey on his website regarding the trademark of the Smiths’ name are incorrect. Here are the facts:

In 2018, following an attempt by a third party to use The Smiths’ name – and upon discovery that the trademark was not owned by the band – Marr reached out to Morrissey, via his representatives, to work together in protecting The Smiths’ name.

A failure to respond led Marr to register the trademark himself. It was subsequently agreed with Morrissey’s lawyers that this trademark was held for the mutual benefit of Morrissey & Marr.

As a gesture of goodwill, in January 2024, Marr signed an assignment of joint ownership to Morrissey. Execution of this document still requires Morrissey to sign.

In the interests of accuracy and clarity regarding the trademark, and to answer recent reports that Marr ignored a promoter’s offer to tour as the Smiths, Marr says:

“To prevent third parties from profiting from the band’s name, it was left to me to protect the legacy. This I have done on behalf of both myself and my former bandmates.

“As for the offer to tour, I didn’t ignore the offer – I said no.”

Additionally, speculation about Johnny Marr touring with a different singer as the Smiths is not true. There are no such plans.

Johnny Marr also confirms that he declined a suggestion for another greatest hits compilation from Warner Music Group given the number already in existence.

So, yeah, don’t expect an Oasis-style reunion anytime soon.