Australian Crawl are back in the headlines, but this time it’s not about a reunion or a reissue.
Founding members James Reyne and Simon Binks have launched legal action over the band’s name, filing a case in the Australian Federal Court on March 12th (per press release).
At the centre of it is long time drummer Bill McDonough and his ownership of Australian Crawl trademarks, which date back to registrations in 1990 and 1994, those trademarks cover everything from entertainment services to clothing, effectively giving control over how the name is used commercially.
Reyne and Binks aren’t buying it, claiming there was no consultation or agreement with any band members when those trademarks were originally registered, and as a result, they do not recognise McDonough’s ownership.
Manager Scot Crawford made it clear this isn’t about ripping control away entirely:
“This action is not about stripping Bill of these trademarks. This is about the original members having access to trademark registration individually or in partnership.”
A dispute rooted in the band’s early history
The legal move pulls the spotlight back onto the band’s formation and internal fractures, Reyne has reiterated the group’s origins, pointing to the original 1978 lineup he formed alongside Simon Binks and Brad Robinson, later joined by Paul Williams and David Reyne.
“In 1978 I formed the band with Simon Binks and Brad Robinson. We subsequently asked our friend Paul Williams to join on bass guitar, and my brother, David Reyne, to play drums. This was the original Australian Crawl lineup.”
That timeline matters, McDonough only joined after David Reyne’s departure in 1979, before being voted out of the band entirely in 1983.
Simon Binks didn’t mince words on that point.
“James, Brad and I formed Australian Crawl in 1978. In 1983 the then members of Australian Crawl unanimously voted Bill out of the band.”
Legacy meets legal reality
For a band that helped define Australian rock in the early ’80s, the dispute cuts deeper than paperwork, Australian Crawl’s catalogue, from ‘The Boys Light Up’ to ‘Reckless’, still carries weight decades on.
What happens next will likely shape how that legacy is managed moving forward, not just who owns the name, but who gets to use it.
For now, it’s headed to court.
Follow me on Facebook:
MORE IN News
