Last month Metallicas lawyer sent a letter to a company producing tires with the name Metallica on it, but the wheel incident is just the latest in a series of actions they have taken against using the band's name without permission. Other products include perfume, pencils and makeup.
As evident from irate bulletin-board postings across the Internet, many fans can't see why a wealthy, multiplatinum band is so quick to file suit against anyone who uses the name Metallica, regardless of how far removed the products are from the band.
"I know that perception of Metallica as a greedy, lawsuit-crazy band is out there," Pietrini, one of MEtallicas lawyers said to MTV. "I just don't think it's accurate. We always try to resolve things without litigation."
Pietrini added that Metallica get involved in more than 10 copyright infringement cases per year and usually resolve them without going to court. "It's just a matter of a company having the right to protect its name," Pietrini concluded. "I couldn't start up a Coca-Cola record company."
Thanks to Chris Dorn
Encyclopedia Metallica
http://www.encycmet.com
