The Guess Who Settles Legal Battle Over Group's Name

A legal dispute over a popular rock band’s name usage has been resolved after months of negotiations between former bandmates.

Randy Bachman and Burton Cummings, co-founders of the Guess Who, filed a lawsuit against former bandmates Garry Peterson and Jim Kale over false advertisement back in October of 2023. The lawsuit claimed Peterson and Kale led fans to believe Bachman and Cummings, who had left the group years ago, were still part of their band that was recording and touring under the Guess Who name even though they were not.

Bachman, 80, and Cummings, 76, told Rolling Stone that shared trademarks have been worked out with the former bandmates although details of the settlement have not been announced.

“We are pleased to have reached a resolution that honors our shared history and allows us to move forward with a new sense of purpose and camaraderie,” Bachman told Rolling Stone.

The ‘60s and ‘70s Canadian rock staple, originally named Chad Allan and the Reflections, was formed in Winnipeg by Bachman, Kale, Peterson, Bob Ashley and Chad Allan. The name change came in 1965.

Cummings and Bachman said it was an arduous process, but they are relieved they resolved the situation.

“It was painful, but we’d have done it indefinitely just to stop that fake band from taking over our history,” Cummings told Rolling Stone. “They took over streaming sites; they were using old photos of me and Randy. It gets me going thinking about it, but that’s over. It’s a painful success. It cost a lot of money with lawyers and I gave up a lot of publishing money, but we finally won this terrible battle.”

The Guess Who is famous for hits like “No Sugar Tonight (New Mother Nature),” “American Woman,” “These Eyes” and more.