Band lawsuit puts damper on Rain tour
Will Rain drop in on Hawaii, or will he shine us on?
Korean news sources are reporting that Korean pop star Bi, or "Rain," has postponed all his United States concerts because of a lawsuit over the use of his stage name, including a June 15 concert in Aloha Stadium.
Born Jung Ji-Hoon, Rain is being sued for trademark infringement by Rain Corporation in a Nevada district court. Also named are Rain's former managers JYP Entertainment Ltd. and concert organizer Star M Entertainment. Some U.S. venues now list the concert as "Ji-Hoon, the Artist Formerly Known as Rain."
Rain is scheduled to play Honolulu, Atlanta, New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles.
Rain is supposed to start filming his Hollywood debut in July as the title character in "Speed Racer." Rain Corporation is actually a Beatles tribute band.
According to Click Entertainment Hawaii, local promoter of the Rain concert, the cancellations are "just a rumor out of Asia." According to Aloha Stadium authorities, the venue is still booked for that date and tickets are still for sale.
"We're holding on for now, and hope that they can resolve their dispute," said stadium manager Scott Chan.