METALLICA Apologizes To Canadian Tribute Band For 'Overzealous' Attorney's Cease-And-Desist Letter

January 14, 2016

METALLICA has apologized to SANDMAN, a Canadian tribute band, after the latter group received a cease-and-desist letter from METALLICA's "very overzealous attorney" asking them to discontinue METALLICA's "official, stylized logos… on or to identify or promote live musical performances through Facebook and YouTube."

Said METALLICA in a statement: "We hear that a Canadian METALLICA tribute band is a little upset with us and with a little digging figured out why. It turns out that a certain letter was delivered to the band SANDMAN that neither we nor our management were aware of until it surfaced online. Lucky for us, the band was kind enough to post it for us to see, and it turns out that we have a very overzealous attorney who sent this letter without our knowledge.

"We have a long history of not only enjoying tribute bands, but we started as one. Heck, we even recorded a two-disc album of covers! We will always remember those days and continue to enjoy tribute bands, even inviting them to support us on various tours over the years.

"SANDMAN should file the letter in the trash. We've spoken to [SANDMAN's] Joe Di Taranto of the band and it’s all good. Keep doing what you're doing... we totally support you! And in the meantime, our attorney can be found at SFO catching a flight to go permanently ice fishing in Alaska."

Di Taranto told RollingStone.com that METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich called him on Wednesday to personally apologize. "He gave me and the band his full blessing to continue on as we were," said Di Taranto. "They want us to continue paying tribute to METALLICA with their full blessing and approval. We will continue to fly the METALLICA flag, loud and proud!!"

This is not the first time METALLICA has clashed with other parties over infringement issues. In January 1999, the band sued Victoria's Secret after it sold a lipstick line dubbed "Metallica." The lingerie company ended up settling with the band.

In 2000, METALLICA launched a trademark infringement suit over a perfume called "Metallica," which retailer Neiman Marcus was selling in its stores.

metallicaceaseanddesistsandman

sandman2016concertposter

Find more on Metallica
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • reddit
  • email

Comments Disclaimer And Information

BLABBERMOUTH.NET uses the Facebook Comments plugin to let people comment on content on the site using their Facebook account. The comments reside on Facebook servers and are not stored on BLABBERMOUTH.NET. To comment on a BLABBERMOUTH.NET story or review, you must be logged in to an active personal account on Facebook. Once you're logged in, you will be able to comment. User comments or postings do not reflect the viewpoint of BLABBERMOUTH.NET and BLABBERMOUTH.NET does not endorse, or guarantee the accuracy of, any user comment. To report spam or any abusive, obscene, defamatory, racist, homophobic or threatening comments, or anything that may violate any applicable laws, use the "Report to Facebook" and "Mark as spam" links that appear next to the comments themselves. To do so, click the downward arrow on the top-right corner of the Facebook comment (the arrow is invisible until you roll over it) and select the appropriate action. You can also send an e-mail to blabbermouthinbox(@)gmail.com with pertinent details. BLABBERMOUTH.NET reserves the right to "hide" comments that may be considered offensive, illegal or inappropriate and to "ban" users that violate the site's Terms Of Service. Hidden comments will still appear to the user and to the user's Facebook friends. If a new comment is published from a "banned" user or contains a blacklisted word, this comment will automatically have limited visibility (the "banned" user's comments will only be visible to the user and the user's Facebook friends).