- The De Mono band, led by Andrzej Krzywy, performed at the Sopot Forest Opera as part of the Top of The Top Festival 2024
- For a dozen or so years, the whole of Poland was gripped by a conflict over the rights to the band’s name.
- Marek Kościkiewicz, after leaving the group, founded his own De Mono with Rafał Brzozowski as vocalist. Initially, the court ruled that both groups could perform under the same name, but after an appeal, the verdict was changed
- Finally, in 2021, the Supreme Court concluded the long proceedings and ruled that Marek Kościkiewicz did not have exclusive rights to the name De Mono
- You can find more articles like this on the Onet home page
The band initially existed as Mono. It was founded in 1984 by guitarist Marek Kościkiewicz, bassist Piotr Kubiaczyk and drummer Dariusz Krupicz. Three years later, guitarist Jacek Perkowski, saxophonist Robert Chojnacki and vocalist Andrzej Krzywy joined the lineup, and the group adopted a new name — De Mono.
Continuation of the material below the video
The group became famous for their debut album “Kochać Inaczej” (1989) with the title hit – it is still considered their most recognizable song. In the following years they also released “Statki na niebo” and “Znów jesteś ze mnie” (the creator of the aforementioned was Kościkiewicz), and individual members of the group decided to pursue solo careers in the mid-1990s. In 1996 Marek Kościkiewicz left the band, but he worked with them from 1999 to 2001.
Witold Jabłonowski / PAP De Mono (1991)
Two De Mono bands toured Poland. The case ended up in court
The conflict over “De Mono”, which heated up public opinion, began in earnest in 2008. At that time, Kościkiewicz formed a new band under the old name, joined by the original members: Chojnacki, Kościkiewicz, Krupicz, and new musicians: Wojciech Wójcicki, Rafał Brzozowski and Michał Grymuza.
In response, Andrzej Krzywy and Piotr Kubiaczyk filed a lawsuit against Kościkiewicz for unlawful use of the group’s name.
The case dragged on for years, and in 2018 the District Court in Warsaw ruled that both groups could perform under the same name. After Krzywy and Kubiaczyk appealed, the verdict was changed, banning Kościkiewicz from using the name “De Mono”.
MW Mono Media
Finally, on October 30, 2021, De Mono’s Facebook profile announced the end of the long legal proceedings. It agreed with Andrzej Krzywy and Piotr Kubiaczyk – even though Marek Kościkiewicz was one of the founders, it was ruled that he did not have the exclusive right to the name. According to the Court of Appeal the guitarist was not the clear leader of De Mono.
“Yesterday, the Supreme Court decided not to accept the cassation appeal filed by Mr. Marek Kościkiewicz’s attorney. This means that the long proceedings over the rights to the name “De Mono” have finally ended. Thus, the already final judgment of the Court of Appeal can be considered as finally sealed.” — wrote the musicians.
In February 2021, Krzywy explained that the time of fighting for the band’s name was extremely difficult.
Andras Szilagyi / MW Media Andrzej Krzywy
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