[Source: NME.com] Sugababes  have begun a legal battle against former member Mutya Buena  over who should own the rights to the band's name.

Current members Heidi Range, Amelle Berrabah and Jade Ewen have teamed up with their record company Island Records to officially oppose Buena's application last March over the rights to the name, reports BBC News.

Buena, who left Sugababes in 2005 and was one of the group's founder members, applied to the European Trademarks Authority following the departure of the band's last original member Keisha Buchanan in 2009.

"It just means the Sugababes have ended," Buena said at the time of Buchanan's leaving.

In correspondence with the European Tradesmarks Authority, Island Records said "there is a likelihood of confusion on the part of the public" due to the similarity between the band and Buena.

If Buena's application is successful, she could be given ownership of the Sugababes name to use on CDs, books and DVDs.