In 1987, after leaving the Satellite Spies band, following an argument with Mark;
Deane registered the "Satellite Spies" trade mark as his own personal property.
Back then, neither Mark, nor others in the band, nor the band's record company Reaction Records,
were aware that Deane had done this. Trade mark registration was not something that most
New Zealand bands considered back in those days.
The band Satellite Spies continued touring, performing live and recording records for
several years after Deane left. We believe that Deane was well aware of this when he registered the
Satellite Spies trade mark. It is our view that his trade mark registration was done in bad faith.
In following years, Deane has transferred his trade mark to S.E.R.L. Science Trustee Ltd and made
further Satellite Spies trade mark registrations in New Zealand and Australia.
In recent times he has quoted those trade marks in efforts to get old Satellite Spies videos removed
from YouTube and
MetaCafe.
He has even to tried to get this web site shut down.
Read the opinion of our lawyer, Wayne Hudson. Wayne is a specialist Intellectual
Property Lawyer, a partner of Auckland based law firm Hudson, Gavin Martin
and was formerly a partner of Bell Gully.
Read an email from Glyn Tucker Jnr, Satellite Spies' record producer and owner of Mandrill Studios and Reaction Records.