Ronald Isley and Rudolph Isley's Estate End Trademark Fight Over The Isley Brothers Name
Ronald Isley and the estate of his late brother Rudolph Isley have ended their court fight over who owns the trademark to The Isley Brothers, with the case dismissed on August 12 in Chicago federal court.
Counsel for both sides filed a stipulation of dismissal — a formal agreement to drop the case — in the US District Court for the Northern of Illinois on Wednesday, August 12. The dismissal was entered under a procedural rule that lets parties close a case by mutual agreement without a judge's order. It is dismissed with prejudice, meaning Rudolph's estate cannot bring the same claims again, and each side bears its own costs and attorneys' fees. (Music Business Worldwide)
The dismissal document sets out no ownership split for the mark THE ISLEY BROTHERS and records no payment between the parties. The trademark registration Ronald Isley secured in August 2022 — covering visual and audiovisual recordings featuring music and animation — was neither cancelled nor amended. It stands in his name alone. (Music Business Worldwide)
The dispute dates back to November 2021, when Ronald applied to register exclusive rights to the name in his own personal name, allegedly without Rudolph's knowledge or approval. The US Patent and Trademark Office granted the registration on August 16, 2022. The application claimed a priority date of 1954 — the year the group was formed — while asserting that Ronald alone held the rights. (Music Business Worldwide)
Rudolph, then 83 and living in Illinois, filed suit on March 20, 2023. Ronald was 81 and living in Missouri. The complaint asked the court to declare the mark jointly and equally owned by the two brothers and to order an accounting and payment of Rudolph's "rightful 50% share" of proceeds. It also accused Ronald of using The Isley Brothers name for products. (Bloomberg Law)
The suit was brought as a declaratory action — a legal mechanism asking a court to clarify rights — with the amount in controversy pleaded at above USD $75,000. The complaint alleged that Rudolph, Ronald and their brother O'Kelly Isley Jr. formed the group in Cincinnati, Ohio, in or about 1954 and operated it as a common-law partnership, sharing expenses, profits, capital and control equally. Property held collectively by the group, according to the complaint, included the label T-Neck Records Inc., the publishers Teaneck Pub. Co. and Bovina Music Inc., around 300 acres of land in upstate New York, and more than 100 registered copyrights. (Music Business Worldwide)
The original lineup toured and recorded from 1954 to 1973, when the group expanded to include Ernie Isley, Marvin Isley and brother-in-law Chris Jasper. That trio departed around 1984 to perform as Isley Jasper Isley, with ownership and control staying with the founding members. (Music Business Worldwide)
In 2023, US District Judge Durkin of the Northern District of Illinois refused to dismiss the case, holding that Rudolph could have rights in the name his brother had registered. (Billboard; Vital Law)
The stipulation was signed by Brian D. Caplan of Reitler Kailas & Rosenblatt LLP for Rudolph's estate, with Steven P. Mandell of Mandell Menkes LLC also on the filing, and by Jeffrey M. Movit of Cohen & Gresser LLP for Ronald Isley. The court document records no settlement terms, no licensing arrangement and no transfer of the mark. What the filing leaves clear is the result: the case is closed, the registration stands, and the question of joint ownership will not be litigated further. (Music Business Worldwide)
