Yoko Ono has a sued a drinks company for selling lemonade called John Lemon.
The 84-year-old, who was married to the late Beatles star John Lennon, has claimed that the company’s branding is hijacking John’s image.
The lemonade has been promoted with an image of John’s famous round spectacles, and the tag line, “John Lemon, Let it Be.”
According to The Sun, Yoko sent legal letters to the Polish drinks firm, as well as their distributors in the UK, ordering them to recall all bottles by threatening fines of €5,100 per day.
The Polish firm, called Mr Lemonade, has claimed that they registered the name “John Lemon” in 2014, two years before John Lennon’s name was trademarked.
However, the firm’s boss eventually decided to rebrand as “On Lemon” from November, in order to avoid a viscous court battle.
Mr Lemonade boss Karol Chamera said, “The case was ludicrous but we couldn’t afford to fight her.”
Meanwhile, Yoko’s legal team said, “John Lennon’s heirs do not want his name being used for commercial purposes. A fair settlement was agreed and the company paid Yoko Ono about £9,000, which is not a lot. They were given six months to sell ‘John Lemon’ stock.”
Yoko’s PR Murray Chalmers said, “We are happy they found a name that is no longer playing on John Lennon’s legacy.”
