[Defiant]

I remember reading about this practice about 15 or 20 years ago. It is not new.

[pnh102]

This is stupid. Why shouldn’t someone be allowed to sell a piece of property that he owns to another willing buyer. As for the state getting involved, isn’t there real crime to be dealt with instead?

[a fool in paradise]

Big Media powergrab:

AEG Live has jumped on a growing legal trend in the concert world by filing a trademark infringement claim against hundreds of John Does and Jane Does. According to AEG's new complaint, "only the plaintiff has the right to sell merchandise bearing the Festival Trademarks at and near the Festival."

AEG is asking a federal court in Colorado to order the US Marshal, local and state police, off duty officers, and AEG agents to seize and impound bootlegged merchandise.

The complaint follows a similar lawsuit filed earlier this summer by UMG's merchandising division, Bravado International Group, in anticipation of a series of concerts by Lady Gaga at New York's Madison Square Garden. That action opened some eyes in the concert industry, showing other outfits how to use the once-rare John Doe trademark lawsuit to get law enforcement involved.

Big Media owns our legislature. "Gee it's too hard to try to take someone to court after the fact, let's file a bunch of generic lawsuits first and get US marshalls to be our private security detail...".

[RobRoy]

I suggest that John, and maybe Jane, retain an attorney. But then, since they don’t exist, it get’s rather complicated.

I’m sure an expensive attorney could sort it out.

[RichInOC]

How do it know?

[dbrew2u]

Have you looked at the Price of a Concert Ticket lately ? $ 200.00 a seat to see the Eagles ? I saw these guys back in the 70’s for $ 3.50. But merchandise is where the Money is really made. The Best and easiest thing to do ? Just wait on the DVD.

[RobRoy]

I wonder how the police will know the merchandise is bootlegged. I bought a couple of Shure Beta 58 mics off craigslist once and my pre-purchase research helped me identifie the “fake” ones that seem to be flooding the market.

That said, it was very difficult to tell unless you knew exactly what to look for.