Slipknot Dismiss Suit Against Slipknot.com

[Revenge of City House]

Rock Band Slipknot Throws Up Its Hands in 'Cybersquatting' Lawsuit Dismissal

In a surprising move, Slipknot has voluntarily dismissed its highly publicized lawsuit against the owner of Slipknot.com, the unauthorized website allegedly peddling bootleg merchandise to fans. The band's lawyers filed this unexpected move on Wednesday, citing "voluntary dismissal without prejudice" in the paperwork obtained by Rolling Stone.

The band had initially accused the domain owner, known only as Slipknot Online Services, Ltd., of "cybersquatting" – a term that refers to the practice of registering a domain name with the intention of selling or profiting from someone else's trademark. The group claimed that the unauthorized site was selling cheap promo products and costume masks without their permission, essentially cheating fans out of legitimate merchandise.

However, in November, lawyer Jeffrey Neuman, acting on behalf of Slipknot Online Services, Ltd., submitted a notice stating that his client had been unaware of the lawsuit. The company had owned the domain since 2001 and remained anonymous, with its website linked to a post office box in the Grand Caymans.

Just last month, Neuman's team filed a motion to dismiss the case, arguing that Slipknot waited too long to sue. Now, Slipknot's lawyers have followed suit, filing their own dismissal. The implications of this move are still unclear, as the band has left open the door for potential future litigation.

It remains to be seen how this latest development will impact fans who may have been misled by the unauthorized website. One thing is certain: with both Slipknot.com and its official site, Slipknot1.com, still active online, the question of whether the domain owner had any actual wrongdoing on their hands has become a murky issue.

Reps for the band declined to comment on this development, while lawyers for Slipknot Online Services, Ltd., have yet to respond to Rolling Stone's request for clarification.

 

[Obsessive-Compulsive]

What's the deal with these rockstars? They can't even figure out who's playing with their toys online

 

[Helpful Hyena]

man it's like slipknot is trying to not stir up any drama about this whole cybersquatting thing... they're basically saying "forget it" and just letting the website be since their lawyers said it was a bad move to sue too late anyway i feel for fans who might have bought some fake merch from that site though, at least they can still get legit stuff from slipknot's official site

 

[Christian]

I'm not surprised by Slipknot's decision to drop its lawsuit against the domain owner . While the unauthorized website was undoubtedly frustrating for fans who wanted to purchase authentic merchandise, I think it's also possible that the band's lawyers were worried about the potential costs and time investment required to pursue the case.

Moreover, with both official sites being active online, it's difficult to say whether the domain owner had any actual wrongdoing on their hands . It's almost as if Slipknot is trying to send a message that they're not interested in pursuing this matter further, and instead want to focus on more pressing creative endeavors.

That being said, I do feel for fans who may have been misled by the unauthorized website . Perhaps Slipknot could use this opportunity to promote their official merchandise and make up for lost sales? It's a shame that they're not taking control of their own brand in this situation.

 

[Curious]

omg what a turn of events , so like i was all ready to go after that fake Slipknot site and now its like... gone , dont get me wrong tho i love slipknot but if they were gonna sue someone for making merch with their name on it at least they should've tried harder lol, i mean whats the point of even having a website when u cant even control what happens with your name online , anyway guess we'll just have to keep an eye out for those bootlegs , can someone pls explain to me why they didnt just take down the site themselves tho?

 

[Awesome Wagon Chase]

The whole thing seems kinda weird to me... I mean, if you've got an official website and merch store, why bother with a different site selling cheaper stuff? And the fact that they claimed it was "cybersquatting" just makes it seem like they were trying to strong-arm someone. I don't think this is really about protecting fans or their interests... maybe more about getting someone to take down an unofficial site?

But at the same time, if the website owner didn't know about the lawsuit and was just trying to make a buck off a popular brand, that's not cool either. I guess we'll never really know what went down... Slipknot seems like they've handled it pretty neatly by just dismissing the whole thing. Guess that's just how it goes sometimes when you're in a public fight

 

[Lone]

Man , I just can't believe how this whole thing went down. I mean, think about it - back in the day, like 10 years ago, we used to pirate music from Napster all the time and nobody cared (or so we thought ). But now, even a legit rock band like Slipknot is getting taken to task for trying to protect their own brand.

It's kinda like when you're at a gig and someone's selling merch without permission - it's still shady, but I guess it's not the end of the world. And honestly, if fans are buying cheap knockoff gear from some random website, they're probably just going to look for it online anyway .

I feel bad for Slipknot, though - they got taken by surprise and now their lawyers are like "oh wait, we can dismiss this whole thing" . Still, I think the band's fans should keep an eye on the situation and make sure the legit site isn't getting slammed with too much traffic .

 

[Motionless Malla]

idk why they're even botherin' now ... i mean, if they knew about it in 2001 and didn't do anything back then, why wait 24 yrs to sue? it just seems like a whole lotta drama for somethin' that's prob just gonna end up bein some cheap promo stuff anyway the fans are the ones who'll get screwed over if they don't figure out what's goin on... i guess we'll just have to wait and see how this all plays out

 

[Black Kung-fu Conne]

omg what's going on with slipknot?? i was so confused why they didn't take action sooner... it's like they waited till the unauthorized site had a chance to gain traction... and now it's all kinda murky did they really think they could just sue their own fanbase lol nope fans have been getting ripped off for years and slipknot just throws up its hands like it's nobody's business

 

[Scary Snail]

Man, I'm still trying to wrap my head around this one... Like, what's up with Slipknot just giving up on the whole cybersquatting thing? I mean, they were all bent outta shape about some dude selling merch from their website without permission... And now they're just letting it go? I guess that domain has been up since 2001 and nobody ever bothered them before. It's kinda weird that Slipknot waited so long to sue in the first place, huh? Anyway, this whole thing is still a bit murky for me... maybe it'll get more clarity later?

 

[Papal Insect Hell]

Man, I'm telling ya, this is like, totally suspicious . The band just gives up on this whole lawsuit thing, and now we're left wondering if they were ever really going to take down that unauthorized website or if it was all just a ruse to get some free publicity . And what's with the grand Cayman address for their domain owner? That's like, super secretive . I'm not saying they did anything wrong, but come on, this whole thing feels like it's got more to do with the band's public image than actual wrongdoing .

 

[Obsessive-Compulsiv]

omg i'm dying i feel so bad for slipknot they must've been totally unaware of that website and now it's all just a mess like they coulda gotten scammed outta thousands of dollars and the thing is fans gotta be so careful nowadays with these cyber squatting ppl and bootleg merch its getting crazy lol anyways i wonder what really went down w/ that domain owner did they even have the merch legit or was it all just a bunch of fake stuff?