Quick question about copyright

Hey everyone, I’m a new member here. Just wanted to say hello to the community.
To get straight to the point, a few friends and I started a band a few months ago. To be honest, our current name is pretty ridiculous.
We want to change it. Everyone has different ideas, but we all agreed that "Zeppelin" sounds incredible.
The thing is, "Zeppelin" is part of a song title by Nirvana, which I stumbled upon while reading some articles online about Led Zeppelin (my absolute favorites My question is: could we run into any legal trouble or copyright issues if we use that name for our band? We all love Nirvana, though I'm actually the only one who's obsessed with Led Zeppelin and Aerosmith—think of us as a tribute to those two. We don't want to cause any trouble for our heroes down the road. Even though Cobain is gone, may he rest in peace, David and Christ are still around for us.🙂
If this could actually become a problem, who should I contact to clear things up?
Is there any realistic way to reach out to the former members of Nirvana (and please, if anyone suggests I try to summon Cobain's spirit, I might actually lose it XD) to ask for permission?
Thanks in advance! 🙂

You aren't going to run into any legal trouble regarding copyright, but let’s be honest, your name is clearly (stupid).
Seriously, change it before people start laughing at you. You can definitely come up with something more clever.
Unless, of course, you're just a cover band that exclusively plays songs by the Democratic Party and Aerosmith, then maybe the name works. 😉

hollowsailor48 said:Unless you’re strictly a tribute act playing nothing but IBM and Aerosmith covers, I’d say the name works just fine. 😉

🤣

Judging by your username, the band name you picked, and those little heart emojis, I have a sneaking suspicion you might be on the younger side. Maybe consider letting someone with a bit more mileage take a crack at naming the group? Just a thought for the sake of the music! 😁

hollowsailor48 said:You aren't going to run into any copyright issues, but let's be honest—your name is pretty (silly).
You should probably change it before people start making fun of you. Surely you can come up with something better.
Unless you're just a tribute band that exclusively plays LZ and Aerosmith, then maybe the name works. 😉

Why would anyone laugh? 🙏
Sure, we play covers right now, but that’s just because we're starting out. We're young, we're writing our own stuff, but we're still struggling to get the riffs and rhythms to lock in perfectly. The lyrics? Those come easy enough.

brightridge59 said:🤣

Judging by your username, your band choice, and that little heart symbol in your text, you seem pretty young. Why not let someone a bit older pick the name for you? Just for kicks. 😁

Trust me, I'm old enough. 🙂
I stick with this handle because I've used it on various music forums for five years now, and I want people to recognize me, haha. As for the heart? That’s there because once you listen to The Beatles, you finally understand what love actually is. 🙂(Of course, that assumes you've actually had the chance to experience it yourself).

Not only would using someone else's song title as your band name likely be fine from a legal standpoint, but I honestly don't think you'd run into any trouble at all. That being said, if you'll permit me a little friendly advice, I really think you should consider picking something else entirely, as this current choice just doesn't quite hit the mark. 🙂

Look, man, I'll give it to you straight—if you want to stay out of trouble, just pick a better name. Ideally, something that sounds more local. It’s obvious you guys are scammers, but at least try to be charmingly, idiotically creative about it. Calling yourselves Goodyear is a terrible move because it clearly leans too hard on Led Zeppelin, which is something you should steer clear of entirely. The older generation isn't always wrong; sometimes they spot the red flags much faster than you do.

Olivia Lee12 said:Look, man, I’ll give it to you straight—if you want to avoid headaches, just pick a better name. Ideally, stick to an American one. It’s pretty obvious you guys are being shady, but at least shady people should try to be charmingly or silly-imaginative. Using Zeppelin is clearly too close to Led Zeppelin, and you definitely need to steer clear of that. The older generation isn't always wrong. Sometimes they see what you're missing before you even realize it.

Wow, do we have a Queen in the house?
There's really no need to be that aggressive.
I actually came up with a much better name, but the Bassist is against it and I want us all to stay on the same page.
And why an American name specifically? Who ever became famous using an American name?
I'm not talking about local acts like The Doors, The Rolling Stones, etc. They're mostly just regional favorites. They aren't nearly as massive as someone like Lady Gaga. Of course, being famous is a huge stretch since this band is just for fun and a love for good music. But a person without dreams is a person without luck. Maybe that's too unrealistic, but music is one of the few things I truly value, and I want to use it to send my message to the world. Besides, English just flows better for me than anything else.

Michael King27 said:Why on earth would anyone find this funny? 🙏

You just don't get it, do you?

I can't speak for everyone else, but I'll tell you exactly why I'm laughing:
The name is, at the very least, ridiculous. It lacks any shred of originality, and frankly, it’s way too on the nose considering you're planning to produce 'original' material. If I were in a band with a name like that, I'd be embarrassed to show up to a gig.

Michael King27 said:Trust me, I'm old enough. 🙂

You might as well have told me you're fourteen. A band name like this is exactly the kind of thing a teenager comes up with. Plus, if your big dream is to rub elbows with Grohl and Novoselica odrasti, 🤦you really need to grow up. 🤦

Killer name—keep crushing it. You guys are gonna blow Nirvana out of the water, so there's nothing anyone can say about you.

hollowsailor48 said:You just don't get it, do you?

I can't speak for everyone else, but here is why I find it funny:
The name itself is ridiculous. It’s anything but original, and it feels way too obvious given that you’re planning to make 'original' music. Honestly, I’d be embarrassed to have a band name like that.

You might as well tell me you're 14. A band name like this is something only a teenager would come up with. Plus, you actually want to meet Grohl and Novoselica odrasti🤦 🤦?

No, my friend, you really don't get it. I chose that name to show respect to the bands that actually achieved something—those who actually changed the world.
And no, I'm not 14. Maybe I mentally stopped aging at fourteen, but physically, I'm seventeen.
Meeting Dave and Krist isn't hard if you have the right connections, which is why I asked. Seriously, do you know how many weirdos are on this forum?

Michael King27 said:Look, man, you’re missing the point entirely. When I used that name, I wasn't just picking something out of thin air; I was trying to show some genuine respect to those legendary bands that actually moved the needle—the ones who didn't just play music, but fundamentally shifted the culture.

Grow up.
If you actually think building a monument with that exact same inscription—basically a temple dedicated to Led Zeppelin and Aerosmith—is a good idea, then you’ve completely lost the plot. It's beyond ridiculous.

And for the record, I’m not fourteen. Maybe my brain just hit its expiration date right after I turned fourteen and decided to call it quits. But physically speaking, I’m only seventeen.

I’m starting to think we need to look at this from a different angle. It feels like we’re missing a significant chunk of the puzzle here, and frankly, it’s getting a little frustrating watching everyone dance around the obvious. If you look at how things usually play out in high-stakes environments—take a massive corporation like Amazon or even just a chaotic situation on the streets of Chicago—you see patterns. You see people ignoring the underlying structural issues because they're too focused on the immediate noise. We keep circling the same drain, hitting the same walls, and acting surprised when nothing changes. It’s like trying to fix a leaking pipe by putting a sticker over the hole instead of actually turning off the water main. We need more substance. More data. More actual substance to work with if we want to make sense of this mess. Otherwise, we're just shouting into the void.
It’s honestly baffling how many people hitting their thirties still possess the mental capacity and maturity of a fourteen-year-old. It’s like watching someone reach adulthood on paper while their brain stays stuck in middle school.

Get in touch with Dave Grohl and Kurt Cobain. It’s really not that difficult if you have the right connections. That’s exactly why I asked. What can I even say about the absolute lunatics that haunt this forum? Honestly, it’s a bit of a circus. Every once in a while, you stumble upon someone so deeply unhinged that you have to take a step back just to process it. It’s like wandering into a corner of a dive bar in Chicago where everyone thinks they're an expert on things they clearly don't understand. You never know if you're going to get a coherent thought or just a total meltdown from some stranger who takes everything way too seriously.

Grow up. Those kinds of cheap stunts haven't worked in years. 😉




I'm not entirely sure what we're aiming for with this one, but if you're looking for a deep dive into that specific topic, I suppose we could start somewhere. It’s like trying to map out a conversation without a compass—you end up wandering through unnecessary details before you even hit the main point. If there was a specific angle you wanted to tackle, let me know. Otherwise, we're just drifting. Sleep on this thread and toss the ashes into the Mississippi. 🤦

hollowsailor48 said:Grow up.
Thinking you should build a monument with that same inscription, or a church dedicated to LZ and Aerosmith, is just ridiculous.

Get over it.
There are people in their thirties whose mental capacity and maturity are stuck at the level of a fourteen-year-old.

Grow up. Those tropes were stolen long ago.😉




eleuthera sleep this thread and throw the ashes into the Mississippi River🤦

You talk about growing up so much, as if being an adult is somehow superior. Being a kid is actually the way to go.
And why shouldn't we dedicate a church to legendary old bands?
The new generations deserve to be guided toward real music. This mental abuse directed at today's music is just... inhumane.
Think about it for a second. I'll tell you why I listen to the classics.
It’s simple: they are incredibly educational. I've learned more from them than I ever could on my own. For example:
From Led Zeppelin, I learned what love really is—whether it's love for a family member, a crush, a child, or a best friend. I learned what it feels like to be loved and how to love in return.
From Jimi Hendrix, I learned the true meaning of beauty and joy.
From The Beatles, I learned that I have to live in harmony with others if I want them to treat me well.
From Nirvana, I learned that the only way to be happy is to accept myself exactly as I am, realizing that happiness comes from within rather than trying to please everyone else.
From Dio, I learned not to try and run away from sadness or anger. Those emotions are part of me too, and I should be proud of them because they make me feel alive.
I won't drag this out by mentioning other great bands, because I know you'll probably just give me a "tl;dr" response. I don't listen to modern music because the only lesson you can take from it is... "today is Friday!". And don't even get me started on Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber, or all those other overrated pop stars, or rappers singing about sleeping with sex workers and then doing drugs. Not to mention the heavy/black metalheads who think the only thing that matters is dangerous distortion, speed, and volume, or the emos and so-called punks (who aren't even real punks anymore) who just cry about things they don't like instead of actually doing something about it. Should I really start talking about those frat boys and their lifestyle choices...?
[EDIT: Hats off to the exceptions]
I don't want to be misunderstood. Everyone has the right to choose what they listen to. I just want to be there to open eyes—or in this case, ears—for those who want to hear real talent and the dedication of bands that didn't do everything just for a paycheck like artists do today.

Michael King27 said:Look at that, we have a queen in the house?
No need to be so offensive.
I actually came up with a much better name, but the Bassist is against it and I want us all to stay on the same page.
And why an American name? Who has ever become famous using an American name?
I'm not talking about gems like Cold Beer, Azra, or Dirty Theater—they're only popular in the States, and even then, they aren't nearly as big as Lady Gaga or whatever. Of course, being famous is a stretch; this band was just made for fun and a love for good music. But a man without dreams is a man without luck. Maybe that's too unrealistic, but music is one of the few things I value, and I want to send my message to the world through it. Plus, my English is way better than my American.

First off, it's "bassist," lowercase. As a rebuttal, let me ask you something: which American artist—let's call them a performer—has ever actually made it big overseas? Believe it or not, I love English, but forcing names and songs into English is totally pointless. It's like listening to a Russian trying to speak English—when an American sings in English, nothing makes sense (with a few exceptions), so singing in English isn't a valid excuse; an Englishman won't understand you if your English is unintelligible. Besides, we don't value our own language enough; we lack imagination, even though we have it. Does Rammstein sing in English? No, and it didn't hold them back. You asked which band succeeded without singing in English? Man, there are hundreds of examples if you look back thirty years. The point is to master your own backyard before trying to conquer someone else's. In a country like the United Kingdom, which is massive compared to the US and has endless competition, you can only hope for minimal success once you've proven yourself at home. For example, here are a few bands—whatever you think of their work, you can't call them failures: Damir Urban, Let 3, Elemental, Kawasaki 3 p, Zinedine Zidane, the boy...
As for the others, maybe TBF doesn't have an American name, but at least they write lyrics in their native tongue and nobody complained about that.
And regarding English, it's usually the ones claiming they know a foreign language perfectly who don't have a clue when it comes to their own.

Olivia Lee12 said:First off, you call them a bassist, so it should be lowercase. As a counterpoint, let me ask you something—which American artist (if not an explorer) has ever truly made it big overseas? Believe it or not, I actually love English, but forcing English names and songs feels totally pointless. It’s like listening to a Russian who tries to speak English. When an American sings in English, it works, but if someone else tries to force it without the nuance, it just sounds incomprehensible. Singing in English isn't some magic ticket to success. Plus, we don't seem to value our own language enough. We lack imagination, even though we clearly have the ability. Does Rammstein sing in English? No, and that didn't stop them. You asked which bands succeeded without singing in English? Man, there are hundreds of examples if you look back over the last thirty years. The point is that you have to master your own backyard before you try to conquer someone else's. In a country like the United Kingdom, which is massive compared to the US and filled with endless competition, you can only hope for minimal success once you've proven yourself at home. Take a few bands for example—regardless of what you think of their music, you can't call them failures: Damir Urban & 4, Let 3, Elemental, Kawasaki 3 p, Zinedine Zidane, boys...
As for the others, maybe they don't have "American" names, but at least they write lyrics in their native tongue, and nobody claims that's a bad thing.
And regarding English proficiency, it’s usually the people who claim to be experts in foreign languages who actually know nothing about their own.

Thanks for this, but like I said, my English is much better than my American, and I'm not an American🙂
I speak English without an accent because I have a knack for languages; I speak several.🙂
And yeah, I don't listen to any American bands. No matter how good they might be, please don't take this the wrong way—I'm not a nationalist. In fact, I hate nationalism. It's just that the American language doesn't appeal to me at all, and generally, those languages aren't very attractive to me.🙂

God, what a thread 🙏🙏

Michael King27 said:Thanks for this, but like I said, my English is way better than my American, and I'm not an American🙂
I speak English without an accent. I have a knack for languages since I'm multilingual🙂
And yeah, I don't listen to any American bands—not even one. Don't take it personally, I'm not some nationalist; if anything, I hate nationalism. It's just that the American language doesn't appeal to me at all. Generally, those regional languages aren't appealing🙂

I speak multiple languages too. I have an accent and I'm not embarrassed by it. As for calling it a "regional" language, you could just call it Greek (Modern Greek) based on where it's spoken. Anyway, I'm not trying to start anything with you—I'll just say this: the band really needs a better name, even if it's in English. And obviously, all the band members need to agree, or at least most of them.

Michael King27 said:You keep harping on about growing up like it's some kind of badge of honor, but honestly? Being a kid is where it's at.
And why shouldn't we treat legendary old-school bands like they're sacred?
The younger crowd needs someone to point them toward actual good music, because listening to what's topping the charts today feels like straight-up mental torture... it’s just wrong.
Look, let me break down why I stick to the classics.
It's simple: they actually teach you something. I've learned more from them than I ever could on my own, like how
from of Led Zeppelin, I learned what love really means—whether it's for family, a crush, a kid, or your best friend—and what it feels like to be loved back.
From Jimi Hendrix, I learned what true beauty and pure joy look like.
From The Beatles, I learned that if you want people to treat you right, you've gotta live in harmony with them.
From Nirvana, I learned that happiness only comes when I accept myself for who I am, instead of constantly performing for everyone else.
From Dio, I learned not to run from sadness or anger; those feelings are part of me too, and I should embrace them because they make me feel alive.
I won't drag out this list with every other great band because you'll probably just hit me with a "tl;dr." I don't touch modern music because the only lesson you get out of it is... "today is Friday!". And don't even get me started on Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber, or all those overrated pop stars and rappers singing about hooking up with escorts and then snorting whatever is lying around. Or those metalheads who think it's all about distortion and volume, or those fake punks who just whine about things instead of actually doing something. Should I even bring up the bubblegum pop trash?
[EDIT: Shoutout to the exceptions]
Don't get me wrong, everyone can listen to whatever they want. I'm just here to open eyes—or in this case, ears—for anyone actually looking for real talent and bands that weren't just chasing a paycheck like today's artists.

So, you're assuming Queen taught you that hurting others just leads to your own misery?
Dude, don't get all worked up, but I'm pretty sure the only thing you learned was basic English. 😬
Plus, making claims like that isn't exactly the best way to wrap your head around copyright law. http://9gag.com/gag/1650987
😬

Taylor Vaughn13 said:So you think the Queen taught you that hurting others just leads to your own suffering?
Look, man, don't take this personally, but I don't think you learned anything besides English. 😬
Besides, making claims like that isn't exactly the best way to wrap your head around how copyright works. 9GAG
😬

9GAG actually took that image from my own original content I posted on Reddit. They basically stole it from me. -.- I ended up getting banned because I got into an argument with the admin about them allowing people to steal our work. If you don't believe me, I have all the details documented in a long post on my Facebook profile. I could send it to you via PayPal, though I'm not sure if that's even a good idea. 🙂

EDIT: That trollface at the bottom wasn't even part of it; it was just a picture of Taylor Swift stretched across the whole line. :/

ulv said:So, this guy actually pulled it off using your image. Doesn't that make you feel like the band name is a bit unpolished? It’s basically built on someone else's word. 😁

HA!
I needed to hear that.
Sir, you are very wise. 🙂
Maybe I'll have to talk the bassist into going with the original name we had planned. 🙂
Thanks a million! 😁