Who’s the ‘Greatest’ of them all? Feld sues Kid Rock over slogan

It may be just harmless hyperbole to Kid Rock, but to Palmetto-based Feld Entertainment, it’s trademark infringement.

A judge may decide who’s right.

Feld Entertainment is the show biz colossus that owns Monster Jam, Disney on Ice and Marvel Universe Live. It also owns the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, which Feld pulled from the road earlier this year.

Kid Rock is the country-rock rapper-singer-songwriter and (maybe) U.S. Senate candidate who is calling his 2018 tour “The Greatest Show on Earth.” That, of course, is the classic slogan for the Ringling circus.

The circus may have stopped touring, but Feld still owns Ringling Bros. and its intellectual property. On Tuesday, an official of the company confirmed that Feld had filed a trademark infringement suit against Kid Rock and Live Nation, the promoter of the tour. The suit reportedly seeks to stop Kid Rock from using the slogan for his tour, and from selling merchandise that uses the phrase.

In a statement to Billboard, Kenneth Feld, chairman and CEO of Feld Entertainment, said, “This historic trademark has been an important part of Ringling Bros. for the past century, and it is recognized as a trusted and iconic brand of family-friendly entertainment. The Greatest Show on Earth continues to live on and will do so well into the future. We have no intention of surrendering the trademark or allowing it to be tarnished.”

No one from Feld was immediately available to provide further comment.

The tour, whatever it ends up being called, is set to kick off Sunday in Kansas City. There are no tour dates scheduled near Bradenton.

Rock also released a song titled “Greatest Show on Earth” earlier this year.

This story was originally published December 26, 2017 at 12:52 PM with the headline "Who’s the ‘Greatest’ of them all? Feld sues Kid Rock over slogan."