Jerry Only responds to Glenn Danzig’s claims that the bassist cheated him out of royalties from the punk band’s artwork

Misfits have fired back at Glenn Danzig over the claim that his former bandmates stole rights to the band’s trademarks. Bassist Jerry Only accused Danzig of throwing “a sour grapes tantrum” over business ventures to which the singer is not entitled.

In a statement to Alternative Press, Only said that when he reassembled the Misfits in the mid-90s, Danzig “made clear that he wanted no public association with the Misfits”. The bassist says he secured “exclusive legal right to tour and record as the Misfits” in 1994 and has accordingly been licensing the band’s name and logo for the past 20 years. “[These] merchandising endeavours are 100% lawful and consistent with their legal rights,” he wrote.

Only’s comments follow Danzig’s lawsuit, filed on 3 April, in which it is claimed that the Misfits’ recent merchandise deals violate a 1994 contract that distributed ownership of the band’s trademarks. Danzig accused Only of illegally withholding Misfits royalties and threatening retailers if they tried to contact the band’s founder.

“Apparently, Danzig’s own product line doesn’t sell as well as he might like,” Only wrote. “[His] lawsuit is nothing more than a calculated attempt to unfairly and improperly enrich himself from revenue streams to which he is not entitled.”

A trial date has yet to be announced.

Source: The Guardian