In now-deleted Instagram posts, guitarist Chad Taylor and drummer Chad Gracey claim lead singer Ed Kowalczyk is no longer allowed to use the band’s name.
As Live hits Canadian soil, it looks like they could be heading to the courts.
Reported by Rolling Stone,former members of the U.S. rock band, guitarist Chad Taylor and drummer Chad Gracey, issued a cease and desist to lead singer Ed Kowalczyk, claiming that he does not have ownership of the band’s name “Live.”
Titled “Re: Formal Notice of Termination and Revocation of Trademark License and All Purported Rights — LIVE Marks — Cease and Desist Demand,” the letter details how the former band members are looking to separate Kowalczyk from using the Live name “in connection with touring, merchandising, recording, advertising, promotion, branding or any other commercial activity.”
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In a now-deleted Instagram post, Taylor shared screenshots of the letter, and wrote that “as of Feb. 16, 2026, [Kowalczyk’s] rights to use the LIVE brand were revoked by AFU,” referring to Action Front Unlimited, Inc., co-founded by Taylor, Gracey and former bassist Patrick Dahlheimer, which owns Live’s trademarks and intellectual property.
"I was not 'fired.' Ed 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,” the guitarist said. “I won’t fight this in public,” he added. “The courts will handle it.”
Gracey chimed in on Instagram, reposting the same letter, with the words, “Your license is revoked…” superimposed over it. Gracey simply wrote “Revoked” in his message. His post has now been wiped from the social media platform, too.
Taylor, Gracey and Dahlheimer founded Live in 1984 under the name First Aid and brought in Kowalczyk later that year as the frontman. In the ‘90s, the band rebranded to Live and released their major label debut album, 1991’s Mental Jewelry. Throughout the decade, the Pennsylvania natives scored eight top 10 hits on Billboard’s Alternative Songs and Mainstream Rock Songs charts, including “Selling the Drama” and “Lightning Crashes.”
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In 2008, Kowalczyk left the band, kicking off a string of legal disputes between the quartet. In 2010, the trio filed a breach-of-contract lawsuit against Kowalczyk, alleging he’d entered into a publishing deal that they claimed owed them money. Two years later, the frontman was sued by AFU when he began touring under the name "Ed Kowalczyk of Live,” which Kowalczyk countersued.
That same year, they reunited without Kowalczyk, who was replaced by Chris Shinn. The former returned to his frontman duties in 2016, following a lengthy, seven-year hiatus.
“The fact that it was a lot longer than anybody planned, it sucked while it was happening and it was challenging, but as it all came around, it’s pretty crazy that we all feel the extra level of excitement that we wouldn’t have,” Kowalczyk told Billboard of the band’s reunion.
In 2022, Kowalczyk took over the band and began making music with a newly assembled backing group. He remains the only original member in the band.
Kowalczyk’s attorney, Mitchell Schuster of Meister Seelig & Fein, PLLC, tells Rolling Stone that claims in the cease and desist letter are “without merit.”
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“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, Schuster said. “We intend to address this matter through the appropriate legal channels and are confident it will be resolved in Ed’s favour in court.”
The cease and desist arrives as Kowalczyk is set to tour across Canada under the name +LIVE+, a reinterpretation of the band’s name, which didn’t fool Taylor and Gracey, as they move full steam ahead with the letter.
Kowalczyk and Co. are hitting the road in celebration of the 35th anniversary of Mental Jewelry. The multi-platinum band will hit 14 shows in eight different provinces, marking their first nationwide journey in two decades. It kicks off tonight (Feb. 23) in Abbotsford, B.C.
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CanRock band Big Wreck are opening on the nationwide trek. The band has recently been climbing the Billboard Canada Mainstream Rock Airplay chart with “Dog With A Gun,” following a string of charting songs last year. On select dates, they'll be joined by special guests Econoline Crush and the Damn Truth.
