Metallica, in some circles, will always be known as the band that sued Napster and promised to go after the band's own fans that used the platform. For some former fans of the band, nothing the band has done since can redeem it. And I'm assuming the latest move probably won't help much either: various reports note that a Canadian Metallica tribute/cover band called "Sandman" showed up at a gig recently, only to discover a 41 page cease and desist letter from the band's lawyers, claiming that they were unfairly profiting off the Metallica name and logo. Unfortunately, no one has released the full letter, but one of the band's members, Joe Di Taranto, posted a photo to Facebook of the first page of the letter: Some in the music press seem to think that the threat is just fine because "would you want someone running around using your likeness and making money off it?" But, that's shortsighted and misleading. First of all, the purpose of trademark is not that no one else can make money ...
