John Lydon found himself in a legal battle with Dennis Morris, a photographer and designer who played a key role in Sex Pistol’s rise to fame.
As per Dailymail, the two punk icons are clashing over who owns the rights to the logo of Lydon’s post-Sex Pistols band, Public Image Limited (PiL).
Lydon claims that he came up with the idea for the PiL logo, a circular design shaped like a pill with the acronym ‘PiL’ in a clean, business-like font. He says Morris was brought in to refine the concept using his design tools. According to Lydon, there was an agreement that he would be the sole owner of the logo’s copyright.
Morris, however, tells a different story. He argues that the logo, including the pill shape and the use of ‘PiL’ as an acronym, was entirely his idea. “The claimant played no part in the design and creation of the logo, which was the original creation of the defendant alone,” says Morris’ lawyer. “It is pure invention.”
Morris claims he designed the logo by hand. He says he got inspired by the look of an aspirin pill, and the lowercase ‘i’ represents the groove in the middle of a tablet. He denies that Lydon had any role in creating it. As his lawyer states, “‘Morris’s authorship of the logo has been widely recognized and acknowledged without complaint or challenge by any members of the band.”
The feud reignited in 2022 when Lydon struck a deal with the streetwear brand Supreme to feature the PiL logo on clothing items like T-shirts and jackets. Morris responded by sending a legal letter, arguing that the logo wasn’t Lydon’s to sell. Both now took the matter to court to determine who truly owns the design.
Morris started his career as a schoolboy photographer on Bob Marley’s 1974 UK tour. He and Lydon were friends during the early days of the Sex Pistols and stayed close when Lydon formed Public Image Limited in 1978 after the Sex Pistols disbanded.
Court hearings on the case began last month, and both sides are presenting their versions of how the logo came to be created nearly 45 years ago. The judge overseeing the case allowed five witnesses to testify about the events, but the trial itself hasn’t yet been scheduled.
