NAME CONTROVERSY
The band was originally formed as "Supernova", but the legality
of the use of that name was called into question by another band of the
same name: Supernova, a pop punk trio from California founded in 1989 and
best known for a song contributed to the soundtrack of the 1994 film Clerks.
On June 26, 2006, the latter band filed a federal lawsuit against Mark
Burnett Productions, Rockstar Entertainment, CBS, Tommy Lee, Jason Newsted,
and Gilby Clarke. The California band is seeking both compensatory and
punitive damages, as well as trademark protection of the "Supernova" name,
the destruction of all Rock Star materials bearing the name "Supernova",
and clarifying statements made on the show. One of their primary pieces
of evidence is a message from Butch Walker on the social networking
website MySpace, in which he notes that the defendants had been informed
of the
existence of a prior band of the same name, but decided to proceed
anyway.
Lee, Newsted, and Clarke were dropped as defendants in late August
at the request of the original Supernova's lawyers.
On September 12, 2006, San Diego Judge John Houston ruled in favor
of the original Supernova, granting their request for a preliminary
injunction.
The injunction keeps the producers of "Rock Star: Supernova" — which
concluded September 13 as a television show, but will continue as a recording,
touring, and merchandise entity for some time to follow — from "performing
rock and roll music, or recording, or selling rock and roll music recordings
under the same [name], pending a trial of this action on its merits,
or until otherwise ordered by the court."
The decision bars the CBS-created rockers from touring, recording
and selling merchandise as "Supernova" once the order takes effect.
First, the original Supernova must post bond, the amount of which has
yet to be
determined by the court.
Following the litigation, all promotional material generally bore
the name "Rock
Star Supernova" on it. This was especially evident on the band's
MySpace page, which identifies the band as Rock Star Supernova and
not Supernova.