MIAMI (CelebrityAccess) After years of litigation, it looks like we may have Menudo back.
The famed band of Puerto Rican boy singers, which started rotating their lineup in 1977, is expected to make a comeback now that a dispute over the name has been put to rest. There had been pending litigation in Miami federal court over the trademark on the “Menudo” brand. However, the court concluded Menudo International LLC is the sole owner of the trademark on a worldwide basis, according to the Miami Herald.
The band that launched Ricky Martin’s career in the 1980s has not been active. Its last studio album – its 36th overall – was released in 1996. However, the granddaddy of all boy bands, which paved the way for the Backstreet Boys and *Nsync 20 years after its inception, is ready to make a comeback.
Paul Tarnopol, CEO of Menudo International, released a statement that said he “was gratified the matter is conclusively resolved” and he “looks forward to working with Oscar Llord in bringing to market the next generation of young Menudos, various television projects, and a 40th anniversary concert of former Menudo stars scheduled for Nov. 17th in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
“Combining a blue-chip brand like Menudo with today’s digital marketing capabilities is a no-brainer,” Tarnopol continued. “Our global strategy to discover a new generation of Menudos is going to create a lot of excitement throughout music, television and social media.”
The band took a break in 1997 when the rights to the name were sold and the active members changed the group’s name to MDO. It was revived in 2007 for an MTV reality TV show and was disbanded again in 2009, according to Billboard.
