Surviving 'Doors' lose appeal bid

Two remaining members of rock group The Doors have lost an appeal to use the band's name and logo.

Keyboardist Ray Manzarek and guitarist Robby Krieger were found guilty of improperly invoking The Doors' name and images during a 2003 concert tour.

They must now pay drummer John Densmore, the parents of late lead singer Jim Morrison and those of his deceased wife $3.2m (£1.6m).

The Doors are known for hits including Light My Fire and Riders on the Storm.

Upheld

The case goes back to 2002 when former drummer Densmore granted permission for Manzarek and Krieger to perform The Doors' songs.

However, they were prohibited from calling themselves The Doors, using the group's distinctive logo or any other Morrison-era imagery.

Legal action began after Manzarek and Krieger began touring in 2003 with Ian Astbury, former lead singer of The Cult, and calling themselves The Doors of the 21st Century.

Densmore argued that the phrase "of the 21st Century" was often little more than fine print in advertisements and that the new band displayed Morrison's image dozens of times during concerts.

In 2005, a judge ordered the new band to stop using The Doors in any form and ordered Manzarek and Krieger to pay Densmore and the parents a combined $3.2m (£1.6m), plus $2m (£1m) in legal costs.

An appeals court upheld the award, and is considering Manzarek and Krieger's appeal of the legal costs as excessive.

The dispute stems from an agreement struck in 1971, following Morrison's death in Paris, that all three surviving members, as well as Morrison's estate, must agree on any use of the Doors name and logo.

Manzarek and Krieger now call themselves Riders on the Storm and continue to perform The Doors' songs live.

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