3 of the Weirdest Rock Music Lawsuits of All Time

Rock music lawsuits are far from a rare occurrence. Plenty of musical acts and rock stars have launched lawsuits to escape their labels, gain creative control over their music, or fight back against libel from journalists. That being said, there have been quite a few bizarre rock music lawsuits through the years that made headlines. The following are just a few of the most interesting rock star legal battles to find a place in rock music history.

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1. Slipknot vs. Burger King

Remember when fast food commercials were cool? Back in the early aughts, Burger King launched a campaign featuring Coq Roq, a fictional chicken-based rock band designed to promote the fast food giant’s then-new chicken fries. It’s clear that Burger King’s team was inspired by heavy metal when creating the fictional band. And unfortunately for them, Slipknot saw a few too many similarities between themselves and Coq Roq.

The band’s legal team accused Burger King of stealing elements of their image and live performance personas to use for the design of Coq Roq in the campaign’s television commercials. There are a few obvious similarities, for what it’s worth. Burger King denied that they were thinking of Slipknot specifically, and both entities decided to drop legal proceedings after Burger King ended the campaign.

2. Bill Wyman vs. Bill Wyman

You read that correctly. Bill Wyman, formerly of The Rolling Stones, once sent a cease and desist order to a critic named Bill Wyman in 2002. It’s not abundantly clear what the issue was. Maybe The Rolling Stones bassist believed the American critic stole his name for clout? That would be interesting, considering that The Rolling Stones’ Bill Wyman was actually born William George Perks.

In the order, Wyman #1’s legal team asked Wyman #2 to provide proof that his name was actually legally Bill Wyman. He easily proved that, and a legal dispute was avoided.

3. Axl Rose vs. Guitar Hero

This is one of the most petty rock music lawsuits from the 21st century. Back in the earlier days of the millennium, the makers behind the video game series Guitar Hero featured the Guns N’ Roses tune “Welcome To The Jungle” in the game Guitar Hero III: Legends Of Rock. They got their ducks in a row legally, of course, before the game was even released. So, it was pretty surprising when Axl Rose hit them with a $20 million lawsuit in 2010.

According to Rose, he gave the franchise permission to use “Welcome To The Jungle” in the game. However, he specifically requested that Slash’s imagery not be featured in the game. Fans of Guns N’ Roses know that the two rock stars were beefing pretty heavily at the time following Slash’s departure from the band in 1996. However, following a three-year court battle, Rose lost the case. Slash returned to Guns N’ Roses just a few years later, so all was well in the end.

Photo courtesy of Slipknot’s official Facebook page

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