The owners of the Hard Rock brand have resorted to legal action in an attempt to end their 14 year licensing agreement at the Vegas resort and casino, saying that a cable reality show titled "Rehab: Party at the Hard Rock Hotel." casts its brand in a bad light.
According to Associated Press, the 110 page lawsuit says the show portrays the hotel-casino as a place that "revels in drunken debauchery, acts of vandalism, sexual harassment, violence, criminality and a host of other behaviour" that most people would find offensive, including patrons of Hard Rock restaurants.
The hotel is owned by Morgans Hotel Group Co., a company that is entirely separate from the café chain. It has labelled the lawsuit “without merit.”
If the restaurant chain wins its lawsuit, the hotel-casino would be forced to change its name and brand, which have been central to its strategy of marketing to music lovers and others familiar with the Hard Rock brand.
Las Vegas police arrested eight people at the resort’s pool in 2009, accusing them of distributing drugs or offering sex for money. The bust was part of a larger enforcement focus on pool parties in Las Vegas. Hotel officials said at the time that they complied with authorities.
If you’re interested in seeing the level of entertainment provided on ‘Rehab,’ check out this representative clip from E! Online.
