On Steve-O‘s “Wild Ride!” podcast, Sharon Osbourne talked about Black Sabbath’s original lineup, the time the band has reunited about a decade ago, pointing out that Geezer Butler (bass) and Bill Ward (drums), do not own Black Sabbath’s name.
Here’s what she said:
“It’s about right, but Ozzy and Tony [Iommi, guitar] own the name — Geezer [Butler, bass] and Bill [Ward, drums] don’t. So it’s Ozzy and Tony that own the name, and they are partners in B.
So you’re kind of right. Ozzy and Tony are equal, and at the time, the other guys, you know, it’s kind of like pay-for-play.”
Ozzy filed a lawsuit against Tony in May 2009, claiming that Iommi illegally took sole ownership of the band’s name in a filing with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.