Loudwire reported this week that former Amity Affliction co-founder bassist/vocalist Ahren Stringer claimed to have been “kicked out” of the band (after being “booted” from their 2024 tour). Stringer has now taken a step further, posting photographs on social media indicating that he is suing frontman Joel Birch over the band’s trademarks “Amity” and “The Amity Affliction.”
What Stringer posted
Yesterday (Feb. 22), multiple publications, including Blunt, Rolling Stone Australia, and The PRP, reported on two screenshots of the situation.
According to The PRP, Stringer “briefly shared” an image indicating that he is “filing an opposition to Birch holding the band’s trademark.”. Stringer then posted a follow-up on Instagram Stories, asking, “Who started the band again?” “You’ll lose.” Rolling Stone Australia reported the following:
Documents published online by IP Australia, the federal government body that administers intellectual property rights and legislation for patents, trademarks, and design rights, show that both parties are at odds over the band’s name and its use on recordings and other media.
Stringer has filed two trademark applications for “The Amity Affliction” and “Amity Affliction” in Class 41 (music production, publishing, and entertainment services) and Class 9 (audio recordings incorporating music). These applications are classified as “under examination,” with final acceptance decisions due on January 10th, 2026.
In addition, Blunt confirmed that Stringer’s “application [for the ‘Amity’ trademark] was accepted for registration on February 3, 2025, but four days later, Joel Birch filed a formal opposition, setting the stage for a legal battle.” Their arguments persist: “The opposition process escalated on February 21, 2025, when Birch submitted his Statement of Grounds and Particulars, detailing why he believes the trademark should be denied.”
Understandably, neither Birch nor The Amity Affliction have responded to this latest development on social media. A joint image of Stringer’s “Notice of Intention” and follow-up Instagram Stories post is shown below:
What happened before this? On February 14, The Amity Affliction issued a statement on Facebook and Instagram detailing their split with Stringer. In it, they state: “We have chosen to remain silent until now because we wanted to handle this privately with respect for all parties concerned. Unfortunately, it has become evident to us that this is no longer possible, and we owe it to our fans to respond. “Ahren will no longer tour or record with The Amity Affliction.” They continued:
We understand that we have all faced challenges over the years. Unfortunately, Ahren’s relationship with the band has deteriorated over time, as he has dealt with difficult aspects of his personal life.
The band has had to cancel tours and turn down many possibilities in order to support Ahren, but moving forward, we cannot continue to tolerate certain behaviours directed at ourselves and those close to us. Ahren has made it very apparent on multiple times that he does not enjoy or wish to continue touring.
Finally, they stated, “The music we’ve created with Ahren will forever bind us, and we’re grateful for the good times we had together.” We wish Ahren the best in his personal and professional endeavours. We look forward to meeting everyone on tour.” Stringer answered the next day on Instagram Stories (via Lambgoat): “I’m not trying to start any more shit, but I’ve been kicked out of my band.” I will NEVER play with The Amity Affliction (who blocked me, by the way). I love you all x.”
Naturally, the news disturbed a large number of fans, with many claiming (in various ways) that Stringer was The Amity Affliction in terms of making their sound “unique.”
Stringer and Birch’s history in The Amity Affliction Stringer was a co-founder of The Amity Affliction. After a few years of playing rhythm guitar, he switched to bass and appeared on all of the band’s studio EPs and albums. He also contributed clean vocals, while Birch (who joined in 2004) offered filthy ones.