NEWS - Jim Morrison's Parents & In-Laws Sue The New Doors (4/25/03, 4 p.m. ET) -- The parents of late Doors frontman Jim Morrison and his widow Pamela Courson are suing the newly reformed edition of the Doors. George and Clara Morrison, along with Columbus and Pearl Courson, filed suit in Los Angeles Superior Court on Wednesday (April 23) against Ray Manzarek, Robby Krieger, and new singer Ian Astbury (of the Cult). The Morrisons and Coursons, who jointly own the late Jim Morrison's 25 percent stake in the band, want to stop the group from using the name "The Doors." They also claim that the group's name, likeness, logo, and music are being used without their consent. In addition, the Morrisons and Coursons are the sole administrators of Jim Morrison's poetry and image, and claim both are being used without their permission. The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages, as well as legal fees and court costs. A spokesperson for the Doors hadn't seen the lawsuit and was unable to comment. The reformed Doors are facing several other lawsuits. Original drummer John Densmore filed a motion in February to stop Manzarek, Krieger, Astbury, and Police drummer Stewart Copeland from using the name. He claimed that all parties had to agree to any business transaction--which he, the Morrisons, and the Coursons did not do--and that only the original band could use the name. Copeland later filed his own suit against the band, after he injured his arm in a bike-riding accident and was replaced by drummer Ty Dennis. He claims breach of oral contract and is asking for more than $1 million in damages. The current Doors lineup--which is touring under the official name "The Doors Of The 21st Century"--is scheduled to play tonight (Friday, April 25) at the Orpheum Theatre in Boston. The Doors (in trouble in) the 21st Century The Morrison family has accused the current line-up of "launching a national and international tour in order to wrongfully enrich themselves." The Morrison family are joined in their pursuit by Pearl Courson, the mother of Jim's late common law wife Pamela. The Morrison / Courson family own 25% of the business of The Doors with Ray Manzerek, Robbie Krieger and John Densmore. The Doors 21st Century have a new album to be released soon and plan a world tour over the next 18 months to support the release. THE DOORS' JOHN DENSMORE FILES LEGAL CHALLENGE TO THE UNAUTHORIZED USE OF "THE DOORS" NAME LOS ANGELES Feb 4, 2003: In a move to protect the legacy of one of rock's greatest musical groups, attorneys representing John Densmore, co-founder and drummer of The Doors, have filed a legal action in Los Angeles County Superior Court today charging breach of contract, trademark infringement and unfair competition against Ray Manzarek and Robbie Krieger, the two other remaining members of The Doors. A concert tour organized by Manzarek and Krieger featuring substitute musicians - Stuart Copeland, formerly of The Police and Ian Astbury, formerly of The Cult ' in place of Densmore and the late Jim Morrison has brought on the legal action, which also names Astbury and Copeland. �Seeking an injunction and damages, the filing cites advertising and promotion of the new group as "The Doors" without the consent of Densmore and the estates of Jim Morrison and his wife, Pam Courson. "It's misleading to the fans," stated Densmore. "I'm forced to speak out now and to take action in order to protect the integrity of the great work all four of us created together. My partners are free to play under any other name and any other logo, as the members of many bands from the same era are doing. I am seeking only to end the confusion caused by the deceptive ad campaign they are using on this tour, in order to preserve the legacy of The Doors, and to set the record straight." According to the complaint filed by attorney Jerome Mandel of Mandel & Norwood, "The performances and advertising by the defendants as The Doors has resulted in substantial confusion to fans. That the defendants have held themselves out as The Doors, and that there has been a drummer playing with that band who is not [John Densmore], has minimized and diminished the reputation and stature of [John Densmore] by causing people to believe that he was not, and is not, an integral and respected part of The Doors band, or is one member who easily can be replaced by another." The complaint also describes the numerous telephone calls received by Densmore from fans and friends regarding the tour and asking for tickets under the misapprehension that Densmore and his fellow Doors had re-united. In keeping with the band's legal agreement to make unanimous business decisions, and to share equally in all revenues, Densmore has to date participated consistently in ventures with his two band partners and the estates of Jim Morrison and Pam Courson, including re-issued recordings, concerts and video releases. Densmore declined to join the other members of the band in a recent performance due to a brief illness and was surprised when other musicians were permanently brought aboard for a tour that included an appearance on NBC's The Tonight Show and an upcoming concert at the Universal Amphitheater Friday, February 7. Examples of deceptive advertising cited in the complaint are: a) Ads in the Los Angeles times promoting the concert at the Universal Amphitheater using the name and original logo of The Doors; b) Tonight Show host Jay Leno introducing a live studio performance of the band as "The Doors." Densmore continues his recording and performing career, including a performance Saturday, February 8 benefiting For The Arts, a non-profit group raising funds to restore arts education programs in the Santa Monica/Malibu public school district. ABOUT JOHN DENSMORE A founding member of the musical group The Doors, John Densmore co-produced and co-wrote seven gold albums, three gold singles and toured the United States, Europe and Japan while all four members were united, with a worldwide total of more than 49 million gold and platinum albums sold to date. His autobiography, "Riders on the Storm" (1991) hit the New York Times bestseller list. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993. A writer, playwright and stage performer, Densmore's essay on the corporate co-opting of rock music to sell consumer products was published by The Nation and subsequently in Rolling Stone and the London Guardian. His new group, Tribaljazz, will release their debut CD on Hidden Beach Records this summer.