The Battle for the Pink Floyd Name: Roger Waters vs. Gilmour, Mason, and Wright

The most interesting takeaway: Even though Roger Waters declared Pink Floyd “a spent force” when he left in 1985, he spent the next two years fighting in court to stop the other three from continuing under that name — and he lost. The legal battle boiled down to whether the band was a partnership that required unanimous consent to continue, or simply a name the other members could keep using. Waters argued that Pink Floyd was essentially his creative vehicle; the rest argued he’d voluntarily resigned from a functioning business.

In 1986, a British High Court ruled in favor of David Gilmour, Nick Mason, and Richard Wright, deciding that Waters had effectively abandoned the group by quitting. Waters appealed, leading