Red Hot Chili Peppers logo causes $11 million lawsuit

A Florida clothing company that affixed the Red Hot Chili Peppers logo to a jacket has been sued by the merchandising company that owns the rights to the logo, as well as logos of Guns N' Roses, Led Zeppelin and more.

Bravada International is suing Back-Lite for $11 million dollars after the company used the logo on a single jacket, at the request of an individual customer.

Back-Lite owner Gary Shaffer agreed to affix the logo on a jacket for a Red Hot Chili Peppers fan who wanted it to wear to this year’s Grammy Awards. The fan was not charged for the jacket, as it was considered a promotional item.

“They are claiming there is a possibility that I’ve made over a million dollars in profits on copyrighted merchandise, which is not true,” Shaffer told rollingstone.com, calling the multi-million dollar suit “extortion”.

The report says that he is currently seeking legal advice, and may not even be able to afford to pay a lawyer.

--By our New York staff.
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