Classic rock acts Led Zeppelin, The Grateful Dead, Santana and The Doors are taking a combined action against a San Francisco based company which sells unlawful reproductions of their vintage concert memorabilia.
William Sagan, owner of wolfgangsvault.com, acquired the assets of the late concert promoter Bill Graham and has been reproducing the items for sale at his website.The suit claims that the reproductions were never authorized by the artists for sale and infringe on their copyright, intellectual property, names, voices, likenesses, photographs and trademarks.
"Sagan simply doesn't have the legal rights to exploit and profit from the extraordinary success of these musicians," said Jeff Reeves, who represents the musicians. "This memorabilia was created in the first place for the purposes of promoting concerts and as gifts for fans and concert crew. Graham himself did not have the right to sell, reproduce or otherwise exploit these materials as a promoter, and neither does Sagan, who was not authorized to purchase these materials and who has absolutely no connection to the artists or their music."
"We have never given permission for our images and material to be used in this way," said Bob Weir of the Grateful Dead. "What Sagan is doing is stealing. He is stealing what is most important to us - our work, our images and our music - and is profiting from the good will of our fans."
"Bill Graham was a man of great integrity who cared very deeply about the artists he worked with as a manager and promoter," said Carlos Santana in a statement. "Bill was a close friend to me and the Santana Band for many years, and I know that what Sagan is doing would go against everything he believed in. I am fully committed to joining with other artists to protect our work, our rights and our legacy."
The lawsuit was filed in San Francisco in the U.S. District Court.
