Cheekwood Estate and Gardens has finalized an agreement with SB Initiative Inc. that will allow the latter to retain all rights to the Swan Ball event name and trademark. The resolution, announced in a release issued jointly by the two parties, resolves a months-long legal battle regarding control of the trademark.
Specifically, SB Initiative (SBI) will control the Swan Ball domain and all data and associated programs and platforms.Â
Court sets Oct. 17 hearing date as boosters aim to take the headline fundraiser to Warner Parks
Cheekwood and SBI issued the following statement in the release:
“SBI and Cheekwood have agreed to prioritize their independent charitable missions and resolve this dispute by separating Cheekwood and the Swan Ball. SBI currently owns the Swan Ball trademark. SBI and Cheekwood wish each other well.”
SBI’s board includes 13 former Swan Ball chairmen, "all of whom have supported the Swan Ball and Cheekwood for many years," according to the statement.Â
In mid-October, according to a document filed in the federal court overseen by U.S. District Judge Eli Richardson, the two parties submitted a joint notice of settlement in which they state that they have reached an agreement in principle related to the ownership of the annual Swan Ball event’s trademark.
Agreement details between parties engaged in legal battle over trademark unclear
Prior to the settlement, Cheekwood contended it established and had owned the Swan Ball since 1963, when the gala was first held on the nonprofit's Swan Lawn. Relatedly, Cheekwood claimed it has owned the Tennessee trademark registration for Swan Ball since July 2004. The event has generated more than $37 million in support of Cheekwood since 1963.
SBI on July 8 sued Cheekwood to retain control of the event and trademark, alleging that Cheekwood had wrongly attempted to wrest Swan Ball operations from the group. Cheekwood later countersued SBI, claiming the entity did not have ownership of the event or trademark.Â
The Swan Ball will benefit Friends of Warner Parks in 2025 rather than Cheekwood Estate and Gardens, according to a press release issued in October. The event is set for June 7, 2025, at Edwin Warner Park, with the Metro Parks Department Board having approved permitting for the event.
Maia Woodhouse, an Adams and Reese attorney, represented Cheekwood, and Chanelle Acheson, Waddey Acheson co-founder and attorney, represented SBI.
This article was first published by our sister publication, the Nashville Post.
