Slipknot Sue Owner of Slipknot.com for Cybersquatting

Not sure if y’all have heard this term before, but it’s honestly pretty self explanatory, and Slipknot are understandably pissed about it. As reported by Billboard over the weekend, some anonymous asshole has been holding slipknot.com hostage since 2001 and using it scam people, and the band is suing the culprit for it.

Slipknot were able to file the suit thanks to the Anti-Cybersquatting Consumer Protection Act, which is also pretty self explanatory. According to their lawyer Craig Reilly, the domain holder has been posting pay-for-click advertisements for counterfeit merch like masks, sweaters, and shirts, which unfairly competes with the band’s sale of actual merch. How shitty.

Reilly broke down all the legalese of the case in layman’s terms:

“The domain name was registered in an effort to profit off of plaintiff’s goodwill and to trick unsuspecting visitors — under the impression they are visiting a website owned, operated or affiliated with plaintiff — into clicking on web searches and other sponsored links. A fan of plaintiff or someone who otherwise wanted to purchase authorized Slipknot merchandise would undoubtedly visit the slipknot.com website assuming it belonged to plaintiff and then purchase the slipknot merchandise linked to on the site, causing damages to plaintiff.”

Talk about some IP infringement. Slipknot is asking for an unspecified amount of financial damages. Justice for slipknot.com!