“Kling Klang” is German for “ding dong.” It also happens to be the name of a space rock fivetet from Liverpool/Edinburgh, whom Kraftwerk is threatening to sue for copyright infringement. The band, who derived their name from the legendary Düsseldorf group's Klingklang studio, was notified of Kraftwerk's copyright claim by fax as they prepared to open Portishead's April 6 concert in Cologne. Kling Klang say they're disinclined to accept Kraftwerk's request. Their management argues that the band can't claim copyright for the idiomatic expression “Kling Klang” because the group's trademark is for the unique spelling “klingklang.”

Tussle better watch their back. [Drowned in Sound]