Rain Name Game Settled

Jeong Ji-hoon, the Korean pop star and actor also known as Rain, recently agreed to settle a long-standing suit in the U.S. over his name, which is also incorporated by a popular Beatles tribute band.

In February 2007, Rain Corporation, which has managed Rain – A Tribute To The Beatles since 1979, filed an intellectual property suit in Nevada District Court against Jeong, his management, JYP Entertainment, and concert coordinator Star M Entertainment over the use of his stage name.

The parties reportedly reportedly settled the issue, agreeing that Jeong will be known as The Rain for all music-related endeavors in the United States.

The agreement does not prevent him from using the simpler moniker Rain outside of America. And according to the HanCinema Web site, he will still be allowed to use Rain in film credits. He starred in “Speed Racer” last year.

Ralph Schmidtke, who manages Rain – A Tribute To The Beatles, told Pollstar that although an agreement had been reached, he couldn’t confirm specifics, which is common in civil settlements.

The name dispute forced Jeong to cancel a tour, including a June 2007 concert in Hawaii, prompting promoter Click Entertainment to file a $40 million lawsuit against the singer for damages. A concert at the 20,000-seat Staples Center in Los Angeles was canceled day-of-show.

Jeong is scheduled to appear for the trial in Hawaii during the week of March 10 over the concert cancellation. If he fails to show up, he may be subject to an arrest warrant.

Click also filed a separate complaint against the same defendants in Korea, but the Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office didn’t take up the charge, saying they found no evidence that the singer planned to deceive the promoter.