Radiohead, Pulp Members Sued Over Harry Potter Film

Timothy Najmolhoda reports:
Remember last week when we reported that Radiohead were hanging out in the studio listening to dub records and cleaning up blue rat shit? Like you, we were pretty sure it was the craziest Radiohead-related story we'd run for at least a month, three weeks minimum. Well, so much for that thought.

The Canadian music website ChartAttack.com has reported that two of the band's members, Phil Selway and Johnny Greenwood, along with Pulp frontman Jarvis Cocker, have gone and gotten themselves in legal trouble over... Harry Potter. For the first time since Kid A, these guys have really outdone themselves.

We're not even sure where to start, but we'll try our best. In the fourth Harry Potter novel, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, the now-pubescent Harry, Ron, and Hermione attend a school dance. Since DJs are a purely Muggle phenomenon, the music at the dance is supplied by a band called the Weird Sisters. Well, as you probably know, Goblet of Fire is now being made into a movie. The film's creators thought it would be fun if they got some real-life rock stars to play the Weird Sisters, so tapped Cocker, Selway, and Greenwood for the roles. Coldplay must have been busy... or just not weird enough.

Here's where it gets ugly: There happens to be a real-life band called the Wyrd Sisters. They're from Winnipeg, they've been nominated for a Juno (Canadian for "Grammy"), and they're steaming mad over having their name messed with. ChartAttack reports that the fifteen-year-old group was unaware of their fictional alter-egos until this past June, when Warner Brothers offered Wyrd Sisters co-founder Kim Baryluk $5,000 to share the band's name. The Sisters declined, and Warner shot back with a $50,000 offer, which they turned down as well. So adamant was the band about not sharing their name that they've now pressed charges against Warner Entertainment Canada, Warner Brothers Records, Cocker, Selway, and Greenwood. (And nobody seemed to care when J. K. Rowling stole the name "Harry Potter" from the 1986 B fantasy film Troll! Is there no justice in this world?)

According to Baryluk, the cost of the band giving up the right to its name would be more than either of Warner's original offers. "Do you know what I've spent on the band in the past 10 years?" she told ChartAttack.com. "In the last 10 years I've spent more than a million dollars. Offering me $50,000 is more than an insult." On the Wyrd Sisters website, the band added, "Legally and morally, the name is ours. Should we say " Jeez, that's too bad!"... and walk away? Or should we practice what we preach and stand up to injustice, no matter how frightening the prospect is? What would Radiohead do?" We're printing up WWRD? bracelets right this very minute.

Radiohead's management has taken a rather cynical view of the lawsuit, telling Chart Attack: "The Wyrd Sisters are just trying to sue them for namesake. The whole story is just a couple of people in a band trying to get some money."

Though the unnamed manager's position can hardly be described as objective, his opinion gains credence when you take in to the account that the name the Wyrd (or Weird) Sisters isn't even going to be mentioned once in the upcoming film... plus it's spelled differently. Once the band refused to sell the name, the filmmakers decided to let the film's trio go nameless. So no cause of action, right?

Well, according to the Sisters' lawyer: "They've already created an association between the name and the band and that's all you need." The Sisters wrote on their website, "If we went somewhere new to play, after this movie is released, how many people would show up expecting the fellows from Radiohead?" Given that these Wyrd-os are a new-age folk trio, they'd be in for a shock.

If at the end of all this you're wondering why Cocker, Greenwood, and Selway are getting sued over a dispute that seems to be purely between the Wyrd Sisters and Warner Brothers, you're not alone. But the band has an answer for you: "We share the same mandate and philosophy that Radiohead does and we certainly do not mean them any harm. I think that if the Radiohead fellows really knew what was going on that they'd be as appalled and horrified as we are... It's about music, and how music is the voice of the people. Money always wins. Isn't that just plain wrong?"

Will L'Affaire Potter expose Radiohead for the greedy, unfeeling bastards they truly are at heart? We sure hope not, but this whole thing better get resolved before people start throwing Avada Kedavra curses at each other.







I can't believe J.K. Rowling isn't mentioned in the suit, but Cocker, Selway and Greenwood are. All they were doing was portraying a supposedly fictional band in a sci-fi fantasy movie. I can agree with the lawsuit, just not all the targets of the lawsuit.

I got lost and stopped caring halfway through. Can someone sum this up for me?

that is retarded. why anyone would be rewarded for having the absolute worst band name of all time is beyond me.

You should pop an Adderall, Blue Milk. As for the story, "we share the same mandate and . . .": Go fuck yourself, you new age schlock-artist.

wait, was the band named in the book?

This the dumbest thing I've heard in awhile. Obviously these guys are in it for the shakedown. Ridiculous.

Interesting that there's no Obner sympathy for the little guy. The Wyrd Sisters have a solid point and a good reason to sue. Just because fans of mainstream entertainment (like the Harry Potter crap, Radiohead, and Pulp) have never heard of the Wyrd Sisters is beside the point - those poor bastards have put their lives into that band. And they should not be bullied out of their livelihood (no matter how small or inconsequential that livelihood may be).

And why is Rowling not part of the lawsuit? Because she merely wrote the books and has nothing to do with the formation of a new "band" called the Weird Sisters.

More proof Canada blows.

That is complete and utter bullshit. It has nothing to do with sympathizing with the "little guy". Just how are these guys being "bullied out of their livelihood"? What, they can't dare to perform now because they're afraid that they'll be associated with a non-existent, unnamed Harry Fucking Potter book band that will alienate their fan base???? Break me a fucking give.

These guys have $$$ in their eyes and you know it. Maybe you're defending them simply because you're from Canada?

Yeh sure, Einstein, that's it.

i can see why they're pissed, but considering that the name isn't in the movie, they really don't have a leg to stand on. had the name been featured in it they'd deserve cash.

and where'd she get a mil tp drop in this band? is she working a $100,000 a year day job?

It's mentioned only in book four, and the mere fact that Rowling herself isn't mentioned in the lawsuit borders on ridiculous(not that I'm advocating suing her).

If they really had an issue with the name being used in the first place they would have gone after Rowling.

Besides, with it being spelled differently and not being used in the film itself, they're full of shit.

They weren't offered the money to DROP their name, just to share it. This is a money issue for them. There are HP soundtracks but they're mostly instrumental so people aren't going to be expecting the HP version of the band to go touring anytime soon. So the likelihood of people expecting to see the Weird Sisters perform instead of The Wyrd Sisters is highly unprobable.

If Royal Crown Revue can sue the Amazing Royal Crowns and win (which they did), the Wyrd sisters would have a strong enough case here if the name was actually in the movie. They have every right to defend their use of the band name, and they've done that. At this point, what links the band name to Cocker et, al. is the hype of the suit (which the Wyrd sister created themselves) and the book (which isn't enough to put Rowling on the chopping block). They will get nothing out of this but publicity.

No, you pretty much got it if you read the first half.

My opinion -- why don't they just change the name of the band in the movie. Oh, that's right, they can't because it's not mentioned (except maybe the credits).

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see avatar for Jarvis' reply

yeah the fact that cocker, selway, greenwood are named in the suit decimates any credibility they might have had. that's pure

Somehow I think there is more than 1 real band with the name "Weird Sisters." It's like the Flying Pigs, or something. It's just too easy to make up. Just sayin....

They could change the name of the band in the movie, except they don't want to because they want the band in the movie to be the Weird Sisters. Get it? Not naming the band in the movie states implicitly what the band's name is.

I wonder what people's opinions on this would be if, instead of indie godheads Radiohead and Pulp, the lawsuit involved, say, Celine Dion and Britney Spears (and, yikes, talk about the Weird Sisters).

Nope, you couldn't be more wrong. Were it a money issue, they'd've taken the $50K.

Warner knew they had a legal issue or they'd not've offered up money in the first place. They tried to strike a deal and failed, but bull-dozed ahead anyway. They're totally in the wrong here, and I hope they get creamed in court.

Unless they wanted more money....
Ridiculous; I hope they (wyrd whatever) never sell another record.

maybe they're just jealous because any music cocker, greenwood & selway would've made, would be so much better than their shitty band.

...because that's the name of the band in the book, written by Rowling, who's not in the suit. There's a disconnect here.


I agree with this, I think the suit is primarily Wyrd-ego-driven which makes me even less sympathetic for them.


How exactly did they bulldoze ahead? They failed to acquire rights to the name, so they're not using the name.

your key flaw is in your logic, in that, you don't have any.

Unless I missed something in the article, WB is using the name anyway, no? Hence the suit. Where does it say they're going with a different name?

I find it really hard to believe, Juno or no, that they've made more than $50,000 (much less a million!) in their crappy band.