Former Volumia! guitarist takes Xander de Buisonjé to court over band name

Hans Paul Nieskens, a founding guitarist of Dutch band Volumia!, has brought a legal case against singer Xander de Buisonjé over the rights to the band’s name, as plans for a reunion move ahead without him.

The case is due to be heard at the Amsterdam District Court on Thursday, De Buisonjé said in a statement. Nieskens and De Buisonjé’s lawyer confirmed the lawsuit to the ANP news agency, Nieuws.nl reported.

De Buisonjé registered the name as a trademark through one of his companies. He plans to perform as Volumia! with seven other former band members, who have chosen not to involve Nieskens. De Buisonjé said the group no longer trusted him, citing a range of reasons.

He also said Nieskens had lost six earlier legal proceedings and was still trying to prevent the eight from performing as Volumia! without his co-operation. That is De Buisonjé’s account of the dispute.

Nieskens rejects the suggestion that he wants to stop a reunion. He said he hopes one happens and wants an outcome that recognises the band’s shared past. He also said he is willing to discuss a reasonable solution, while declining to comment further ahead of the hearing.

Nieskens says he registered the name when he was the band’s founder, guitarist and manager, to protect what he regards as Volumia!’s shared identity. The group began in 1992, had hits including “Afscheid” and “Hou Me Vast”, and split in 2002. De Buisonjé later pursued a solo career.