ABBA tribute band ABBALIVE 'blocked by Facebook' over trademark infringement

ABBA's music is unmistakeable and is why countless tribute bands play across the planet, but one Australian group claim to have drawn the ire of the Swedish supergroup.

ABBALIVE, a Brisbane based band, is as close to Australia gets to the real 'Mamma Mia' hitmakers but the band's manager and founder Lynelle Leighton claims she is under attack.

ABBALIVE have been around for 18 years but Ms Leighton says five years ago Facebook informed them no ABBA bands could use the word ABBA as a single word in their Facebook pages.

She said she wrote back to the social media giant and explained ABBALIVE was all one word stylistically and she thought everything "was fine" until three days ago.

She claims ABBA's management have contacted Facebook and ordered it to block ABBALIVE's page over a copyright issue.

"We got a message from Facebook saying our ABBALIVE page has been taken down because of a trademark infringement," Ms Leighton told 9News.

"It's felt like a real kick in the guts, just one after another.

"I don't think anyone's going to mistake us for the real ABBA because we play at the local leagues club and stuff like that."

Ms Leighton is hoping to get the band's page reinstated. They use the page for advertising shows and interacting with their fans.

She said it felt like a "really insensitive time" amid the pandemic for the issue to be raised.

"In mid-March all our work disappeared completely within two days," she said.

"Same with most of my work colleagues and for four for or five months."

The group have tried to contact Facebook and ABBA's management team but are yet to receive a response.

"For me, we've only ever paid tribute to their music and to how amazing they are and not tried to hinder them at all," Ms Leighton said.