LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) - The name of legendary bluegrass musician Bill Monroe can once again grace the festival held in his honor.
The Kentucky Court of Appeals on Friday ruled that a nonprofit organization can use Monroe's name to promote The Jerusalem Ridge Bluegrass Music Festival.
The appeals court decision reverses a lower court, which found that Ohio County held the intellectual property rights to Monroe's name and could stop the festival from using it.
Judge Joy A. Moore, writing for a three-judge panel, concluded that county officials intended to grant the festival's director the right to use Monroe's name, but failed to formalize the agreement.
Monroe was born in 1911 near Rosine in western Kentucky. He's credited by music historians with creating the sound that became known as bluegrass music.
(Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
