Following a long and often bitter trademark battle, Dash Berlin frontman Jeffrey Sutorius has lost the dispute and must refrain from using the iconic trance group’s name.
In a statement shared today, March 29th, Sutorius announced that the Dash Berlin trademarks have officially been transferred to his former group-mates, writing that the decision “feels very unfair.”
“Unfortunately, it has been sentenced last week that the Dash Berlin trademarks must be transferred to my former partners in Dash Berlin and that as of March 17th I cannot use the name Dash Berlin, as I’ve done in the past 13 years, any longer,” Sutorius’ statement reads. “I know this seems weird and to me personally it feels very unfair, but it is something that I have to accept and deal with for now.”
Sutorius goes on to wish his former partners well and announce that he will be performing and releasing music under his own name.
The trio split in public fashion in late 2018, when Sutorius announced that he had severed ties with his Dash Berlin bandmates, Sebastiaan Molijn and Eelke Kalberg. Citing “mismanagement” and neglect, Sutorius accused Molijn and Kalberg of registering the Dash Berlin trademark behind his back and revoking his access to the group’s social media accounts, leading to a “negative influence on [his] health.”
Sutorius’ post seems to be at odds with a June 2019 statement in which he claimed he would be spearheading Dash Berlin, with Molijn and Kalberg deciding to “end their part in the Dash Berlin project to focus on exciting new musical projects.”
EDM.com has reached out to Dash Berlin but they did not immediately respond to requests for comment. You can read Sutorius’ full statement below.