Thrash metal titans Metallica have found themselves wrapped up in several legal entanglements ahead of their planned pair of shows in St. Louis, MO this week. Per a report over at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the band’s official merch partner, Merch Traffic, filed several trademark infringement suits in a St. Louis, MO federal court against a number of different parties.
The suits alleged that these individuals have been involved with the unauthorized sale of merchandise associated with the Metallica brand. According to the report, the aforementioned company has also filed similar suits in other markets in the past, including, New York, Texas and New Jersey.
According to the suit, “The infringing merchandise is of the same general appearance as plaintiff’s merchandise and is likely to cause confusion among prospective purchasers. Further, the infringing merchandise sold and to be sold by defendants is generally of inferior quality.”
It is unclear whether or not these suits are the policy of the company alone, or if the band themselves had a hand in having the complaints launched. Metallica‘s history with copyright infringement became infamous over the years, particularly in 2000 when the band filed suit against peer-to-peer file sharing program Napster—a move many viewed as controversial at the time.
The band sought a minimum of $10 million dollars in damages for the unauthorized reproduction and distribution of their recorded works at the time. While the band were awarded a preliminary injunction in that suit, a proposed settlement ultimately fell apart as Napster spiraled into bankruptcy.
Metallica‘s upcoming live events run as follows:
11/03 St. Louis, MO – The Dome at America’s Center (feat. Pantera & Mammoth WVH)
11/05 St. Louis, MO – The Dome at America’s Center (feat. Five Finger Death Punch & Ice Nine Kills)
11/10 Detroit, MI – Ford Field (feat. Pantera & Mammoth WVH)
11/12 Detroit, MI – Ford Field (feat. Five Finger Death Punch & Ice Nine Kills)
2024:
05/24 Munich, GER – Olympiastadion (feat. Architects & Mammoth WVH)
05/26 Munich, GER – Olympiastadion (feat. Five Finger Death Punch & Ice Nine Kills)
06/07 Helsinki, FIN – Helsinki Olympic Stadium (feat. Architects & Mammoth WVH)
06/09 Helsinki, FIN – Helsinki Olympic Stadium (feat. Five Finger Death Punch & Ice Nine Kills)
06/14 Copenhagen, DEN – Parken Stadium (feat. Architects & Mammoth WVH)
06/16 Copenhagen, DEN – Parken Stadium (feat. Five Finger Death Punch & Ice Nine Kills)
07/05 Warsaw, POL – PGE Narodowy (feat. Architects & Mammoth WVH)
07/07 Warsaw, POL – PGE Narodowy (feat. Five Finger Death Punch & Ice Nine Kills)
07/12 Madrid, SPA – Estadion Civitas Metrpolitano (feat. Architects & Mammoth WVH)
07/14 Madrid, SPA – Estadion Civitas Metrpolitano (feat. Five Finger Death Punch & Ice Nine Kills)
08/02 Foxborough, MA – Gillette Stadium (feat. Pantera & Mammoth WVH)
08/04 Foxborough, MA – Gillette Stadium (feat. Five Finger Death Punch & Ice Nine Kills)
08/09 Chicago, IL – Soldier Field (feat. Pantera & Mammoth WVH)
08/11 Chicago, IL – Soldier Field (feat. Five Finger Death Punch & Ice Nine Kills)
08/16 Minneapolis, MN – U.S. Bank Stadium (feat. Pantera & Mammoth WVH)
08/18 Minneapolis, MN – U.S. Bank Stadium (feat. Five Finger Death Punch & Ice Nine Kills)
08/23 Edmonton, AB – Commonwealth Stadium (feat. Pantera & Mammoth WVH)
08/25 Edmonton, AB – Commonwealth Stadium (feat. Five Finger Death Punch & Ice Nine Kills)
08/30 Seattle, WA – Lumen Field (feat. Pantera & Mammoth WVH)
09/01 Seattle, WA – Lumen Field (feat. Five Finger Death Punch & Ice Nine Kills)
09/20 Mexico City, MEX – Foro Sol (feat. Greta Van Fleet & Mammoth WVH)
09/22 Mexico City, MEX – Foro Sol (feat. Five Finger Death Punch & Ice Nine Kills)
09/27 Mexico City, MEX – Foro Sol (feat. Greta Van Fleet & Mammoth WVH)
09/29 Mexico City, MEX – Foro Sol (feat. Five Finger Death Punch & Ice Nine Kills)
