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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