Paul Kantner sued for 'Starship' misuse

SAN FRANCISCO, March 23 (UPI) -- Members of Jefferson Airplane and the later Jefferson Starship are suing guitarist Paul Kantner in San Francisco for misusing the "Starship" name.

The suit, filed by former manager Bill Thompson and vocalist Grace Slick, said Kantner violated trademark rights and an $80,000 settlement he signed in 1985, the San Francisco Chronicle said Friday.

In the deal, Kantner agreed not to perform as Jefferson Starship nor use "Jefferson" or "Airplane" without consent from Slick, the majority shareholder in Jefferson Starship Inc., the suit said.

Kantner has performed with different members of Jefferson Starship and Jefferson Airplane, the iconic '60s group with hits such as "Somebody to Love" and "White Rabbit."

In addition to performing concerts, the latest suit involves Kantner's letting Microsoft Corp. use the Starship name to promote a new computer operating system, Thompson said.

County fairs are one thing, Thompson said about the lag time before suing, but, "Microsoft is a huge company."

"When (Kantner) doesn't own the name," Thompson said, "he can't do that sort of thing."

Kantner said Thompson's been filing suits for years and "usually he's on the losing end."