Metallica Files Lawsuit to Halt Bootleg Sales Before St. Louis Concert

Metallica’s merchandise machine is back at it, keeping the unauthorized sellers in check before they even get a shot at making a quick buck off their name. This time, their touring merch partner, Merch Traffic, has filed a lawsuit in St. Louis federal court.

They’re aiming to keep the bootleggers away from their November 3 and 5 shows, taking action against what they call counterfeit sales of anything bearing Metallica’s logo. According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, this lawsuit seeks to authorize law enforcement to seize and destroy any unlicensed merch cropping up around the event.

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Back in the ‘80s, Metallica flat-out refused to make music videos. Too “mainstream,” they claimed. Fast forward a few years, and there they are, fully suited up for MTV.

Enforcing this crackdown isn’t exactly straightforward. Sure, copyright infringement is no joke, and recreating a band’s logo without permission is a violation, but these bootleggers aren’t exactly setting up permanent shops.

Many of them are on-the-go with print-on-demand operations. Suing a whole city to curb their actions sounds like quite the stretch, but this legal route might give law enforcement the green light to dispose of any knock-off products.

Filed officially on October 26, the suit names several unknown John and Jane Does accused of peddling fake Metallica merch. The aim? Confiscation and destruction of the counterfeit goods, as the suit claims these items could confuse buyers and fall short of the band’s quality standards.

“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.”

Metallica’s legal team is no stranger to these maneuvers. This year alone, they’ve filed similar suits in New Jersey, New York, and Texas. They seem intent on preventing any unauthorized merch sales that might “continue to engage in such infringing activities… to the great injury of plaintiff and Metallica.”

For anyone planning to attend the shows in St. Louis, it’s best to steer clear of the bootleg tables—unless you feel like seeing your new shirt get seized right off your back.