Why is the band Yazoo called Yaz in North America?

In the United States, there was already a blues record label called Yazoo Records, founded in the 1960s. To avoid a trademark infringement lawsuit, the band had to use a different name for their North American releases.

As a result, their albums, including their 1982 debut "Upstairs at Eric's", were released in the US and Canada under the name "Yaz".

According to Moyet, the name Yazoo was taken from the specialist blues record label Yazoo Records. This decision led to a £3.5 million lawsuit threat by the label over the band's name and, coupled with the fact that the name Yazoo was already in use by a lesser known American rock band, the group was renamed Yaz for the North American market.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yazoo_(band)