Founding former members of Live — guitarist Chad Taylor and drummer Chad Gracey — shared images on social media showing a cease-and-desist letter sent to lead singer Ed Kowalczck regarding the use of the band’s name.
The letter alleges the termination of the license to use any trademarks associated with Live for both Kowalczyk and The Fifth Veda, a record label founded by the singer.
Action Front Unlimited is listed in the letter as the “exclusive owner” of trademarks and intellectual property associated with Live. Members of the band originally formed the entity.
What the Emails Sent to Ed Kowalczyk Said
The publicly shared letter comes with an added comment from Taylor, who claims that Kowalczyk “never had the authority to remove me. I remain a founding shareholder and director of Action Front Unlimited, Inc. – the company that owns the Live name and trademarks.”
Live announced a planned two-year hiatus in 2009 and in 2011, the band was reformed by Taylor, Gracey and bassist Patrick Dahlheimer, but without Kowalczyk. A new singer was brought in the following year, leading to disputes between both sides. Meanwhile, Kowalczyk toured as Ed Kowalczyk of Live.
Kowalczyk eventually rejoined the band in 2016 until things fell apart in 2022. Kowalczyk asserts he “fired” the rest of the band and, since then, he has toured under the name Live as its only original member.
The email can be seen in the social media post below. Taylor says, “I won’t fight this in public. The courts will handle it.”
Kowalczyk has yet to respond publicly to the cease-and-desist letter or claims over the rightful ownership of the Live trademark.
UPDATE: A statement provided to Loudwire by Mitchell Schuster, Meister Seelig & Fein, PLLC, representing Kowalczyk, reads:
The assertions contained in the recently circulated “cease and desist” letter from certain former members of LIVE are without merit. Ed Kowalczyk has served as the band’s frontman since its founding and remains in that role. The claims made do not alter that reality. We intend to address this matter through the appropriate legal channels and are confident it will be resolved in Ed’s favor in court.
The social media posts made by Taylor and Gracey have both been removed.
Live Trademark Battle Ensues Before Start of Tour
The cease-and-desist comes just as Kowalczyk is set to begin a tour of Canada under the Live band name. The tour begins Feb. 23 in Abbotsford, British Columbia.
The band played a pair of dates in Las Vegas in January. Those two shows have been the only ones scheduled so far in the U.S. for 2026.
Live 2026 Tour Dates
Feb. 23 – Abbotsford, British Columbia @ Abbotsford Centre
Feb. 24 – Kelowna, British Columbia @ Prospera Place
Feb. 26 – Tsuut’ina, Alberta @ Grey Eagle Event Centre
Feb. 27 – Edmonton, Alberta @ Rogers Place
March 1 – Saskatoon, Saskatchewan @ Saktel Centre
March 2 – Winnipeg, Manitoba @ Canada Life Centre
March 5 – Hamilton, Ontario @ TD Coliseum
March 6 – Ottawa, Ontario @ Canadian Tire Centre
March 7 – London, Ontario @ Canada Life Place
March 9 – Oshawa, Ontario @ Tribute Communities Centre
March 10 – Laval, Quebec @ Place Bell
March 11 – Quebec City, Quebec @ Centre Videotron
March 13 – Moncton, New Brunswick @ Avenir Centre
March 14 – Halifax, Nova Scotia @ Scotiabank Centre
Live achieved significant commercial success in 1994 with the album Throwing Copper. Kowalczyk’s unmistakable voice made him one of the more underrated alternative rock singers from that era.
Here is a look at other alt-rockers in the conversation about who is the most underrated voice from the 1990s.
The 5 Most Underrated Alt-Rock Singers of the ‘90s
If you remember the song but not the singer, this list is for you!
Gallery Credit: Sydney Taylor
