March 23, 2012 19:24

Merch company sues over bootleg Red Hot Chili Peppers shirts

Bravado are taking a man from Florida to court for selling 'fake' merchandise

Photo Gallery: Red Hot Chili Peppers
Photo: Pa Photos

A US based music merchandise company has filed a lawsuit against a man in Tampa, Florida, who they allege has been selling unofficial Red Hot Chili Peppers t-shirts outside the band's gigs.

Bravado are suing Mike Smith after claiming they have a deal with the band which gives them exclusive rights to their name when it comes to merchandise. According to TMZ, Bravado have called for Smith to cease trading immediately and destroy all his stock as well as asking for unspecified damages.

Red Hot Chili Peppers recently revealed that they hope to get Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page to join them on stage at Knebworth on June 23. The band return to the UK and Ireland this summer for three outdoor shows, at Knebworth on June 23 , Sunderland's Stadium Of Light on June 24 and Dublin's Croke Park on June 26.

In an interview with Daily Star, the band's drummer Chad Smith said: "Jimmy Page has come to our shows before but we haven't had a chance to play with him. That would be really cool so maybe that can happen. Maybe we can get Page to come out to Knebworth. I saw him come on with Foo Fighters at Wembley...".

Smith also said it's a dream come true for the band to play Knebworth on June 23, saying it was on the group's "bucket list". He added: "Being a rock fan, Knebworth is particularly exciting. I first heard about Knebworth when Led Zeppelin played there in 1979, so to me it's hallowed ground and pretty cool that we will be following them."

He added: "Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Queen and The Who – grew up listening to them. To go over to be accepted where these guys play blows ours minds. It's like a bucket list kind of thing, we can tick that one off."

You can watch the video for the band's new single 'Look Around' by scrolling down to the bottom of the page and clicking.

Video: Red Hot Chili Peppers - 'Look Around'

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