Ozzy Osbourne has launched a case for the co-ownership of the Black Sabbath name.
Black Sabbath frontman Ozzy Osbourne is suing the group's guitarist over who owns the band's name.
The 60-year-old has filed a lawsuit against Tony Iommi accusing him of falsely claiming to have the rights to the group's name.
Osbourne says this has cost him royalty payments from Black Sabbath merchandise sales and is asking for half-ownership of the name and a share of the lost profits.
In a statement, the frontman said he regrets that the issue has been taken to court, but claimed he has spent three years trying to resolve it.
He added: "We've all worked too hard and long in our careers to allow you to sell merchandise that features all our faces, old Black Sabbath album covers and band logos, and then you tell us that you own the copyright."
Osbourne also claimed that he thinks it is a moral issue that the four members of the group share the rights to the Black Sabbath name and urged Iommi to allow this.
Last month, it was revealed that Black Sabbath are to release a compilation of their greatest hits, including Paranoid, Iron Man, Changes and War Pigs.
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