New Kids On The Block Lawsuit Hangs Tough

OK, enough with the silly puns. This is serious business. TMZ is reporting that the boy band filed a Federal lawsuit against a company called SM Productions.

SM Productions is accused of attempting “to form a new group also entitled ‘New Kids on the Block’” back in 2005 with the intentions of recording music and passing it off as new tunes from the real NKOTB.

Hmm. Wonder how SM Productions was expecting to pull that off? Just never have the new guys go on tour? Expect Jordan and Jonathan Knight, Joey McIntyre, Donnie Wahlberg and Danny Wood to never catch up with them?

And what about art for the phony NKOTB album? Would SM Productions just use old artwork and hope that fans wouldn’t question the move?

Sounds like that’s exactly what SMP planned to do. The lawsuit also calls out SMP for trying to register album art from Hangin’ Tough, the band’s 1988 sophomore release, as well as the band’s name with the U.S. Patents and Trademark Office.

TMZ noted that NKOTB want the court “to officially tell everyone that the NKOTB name belongs to NKOTB and NKOTB only.”

NKOTB formed back in 1984 and released its self-titled debut album in 1986. After releasing five studio albums, the band broke up in 1994. The band officially reunited in 2008, touring and releasing its sixth studio album, The Block, last September.

You can catch NKOTB this weekend at Nikon At Jones Beach Theater in Wantagh, N.Y. (June 12), PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel, N.J. (June 13) and Darien Lake Performing Arts Center in Darien Center N.Y. (June 14).

The guys have North American dates on the books through July 18. In August NKOTB tour Australia.

Click here for the TMZ article.