Mutya tries to trademark Sugababes name

Mutya Buena, a founding member of Sugababes, is trying to claim back ownership of the band's name, despite having left the chart-toppers five years ago. Buena has applied to the European Trademarks Authority and could have a good case, given that none of the original line-up remain.

The last original member of Sugababes, Keisha Buchanan, was sacked in September following an alleged dispute over royalties. She was replaced by Jade Ewen, Britain's unsuccessful entrant in the 2009 Eurovision song contest.

Buchanan's exit meant that the Sugababes were officially over, Buena said at the time. "It just means the Sugababes have ended because there are no original people remaining." The split led to The First Post calling for the band to become a franchise, with the brand more important than the members - the kind of arrangement Japanese and Mexican bands have been operating for years. If Buena’s application is successful, that is exactly what could happen.

The singer will own the rights to use the Sugababes name on CDs, DVDs and books. All three original members - Buena, Buchanan and Siobhan Donaghy - are named on the document, but Buena's lawyers said that Buena was the "sole applicant".

Since Buena formed the multi-racial pop trio with Donaghy and Buchanan in 1998, Sugababes has seen a complete changeover in line-up, with each of the original members replaced with lookalike singers. Along with Ewen, the current line-up includes Heidi Range, who replaced Donaghy in 2001, and Amelle Berrabah, who replaced Buena in 2005.

Sugababes have just released their seventh studio album, Sweet 7, the first for the new line-up. The album's launch date was delayed while Ewen re-recorded Buchanan's vocals. ·