Banding Together: Slipknot Drops Lawsuit Against Bootleg Site
In a surprising turn of events, heavy metal group Slipknot has voluntarily dismissed its lawsuit against Slipknot.com, a website that claims to be selling unauthorized merchandise. The band initially accused the site's owner, who remains anonymous, of "cybersquatting" - essentially, trademark infringement on their own domain name.
Slipknot filed the suit in November 2025, citing concerns over bootlegged merchandise and costume masks being sold on the website. However, lawyers for Slipknot Online Services, Ltd., the site's owner, claimed that the company was unaware of the lawsuit, having owned the domain since February 2001.
The dispute took a dramatic turn when the original lawsuit against Slipknot.com was dismissed in January 2026, with lawyers arguing that Slipknot waited too long to sue. Now, Slipknot has followed suit by dismissing its own case, effectively allowing it to revive the action if needed.
A spokesperson for Slipknot refused to comment on the developments, but their website, which remains active at Slipknot1.com, suggests no disruption to business as usual. The site's owner also did not respond to a request for comment from Rolling Stone.
The ongoing saga highlights the complexities of trademark law in the digital age and the challenges faced by content creators when dealing with unauthorized use of their intellectual property online.
In a surprising turn of events, heavy metal group Slipknot has voluntarily dismissed its lawsuit against Slipknot.com, a website that claims to be selling unauthorized merchandise. The band initially accused the site's owner, who remains anonymous, of "cybersquatting" - essentially, trademark infringement on their own domain name.
Slipknot filed the suit in November 2025, citing concerns over bootlegged merchandise and costume masks being sold on the website. However, lawyers for Slipknot Online Services, Ltd., the site's owner, claimed that the company was unaware of the lawsuit, having owned the domain since February 2001.
The dispute took a dramatic turn when the original lawsuit against Slipknot.com was dismissed in January 2026, with lawyers arguing that Slipknot waited too long to sue. Now, Slipknot has followed suit by dismissing its own case, effectively allowing it to revive the action if needed.
A spokesperson for Slipknot refused to comment on the developments, but their website, which remains active at Slipknot1.com, suggests no disruption to business as usual. The site's owner also did not respond to a request for comment from Rolling Stone.
The ongoing saga highlights the complexities of trademark law in the digital age and the challenges faced by content creators when dealing with unauthorized use of their intellectual property online.
]
slipknot dropped the lawsuit against that bootleg site and its a total win for them!!! they were all over this whole thing and now they can just chill knowing they're not gonna have to deal with some shady merch seller ruining their rep. i was low-key worried they'd have to take down their own website or something but thankfully that didn't happen 
I get why they were concerned about people selling fake merch, but come on, 24 years is a loooong time to own a domain and not even know someone's trying to sell knockoff stuff? 
It's like finding out your BFF has been selling your old band tees online without asking. 
It just goes to show that trademark law is super tricky and we're still figuring out how to deal with this digital stuff. But, you know, kudos to Slipknot for being chill about it all! 
anyway, i feel for the guy who owns slipknot.com, hes been dealing with this stuff since 2001... that's like, forever 
. and yeah, its all about protecting your intellectual property online, but at the same time, youre gotta be careful not to get too hung up on it or you'll end up in a lawsuit yourself 
. I mean, they were right to crack down on bootlegged merch, but now it's all going back to square one...or rather, the same old website 
. Don't get me wrong, I'm a huge fan of Slipknot and their unique style, but come on, can't these websites just follow some basic rules? 
I guess that's why they call it trademark law - all those fancy words to deal with the drama 
. Anyway, now we're stuck waiting for something (or someone) else to make a move...like what's next for these guys and their merch? 
it's crazy how complicated all this can get... like, who knows what kinda stress comes w/ trying to protect ur own brand online? anyway, i guess this is a win for the website owner... but i'm sure slipknot will be more careful next time around 
i think its kinda cool that they're willing to revive action if needed 
meanwhile, those costume masks and merch are probably still flooding the internet 
The whole thing just goes to show that sometimes you gotta roll with the punches (or in this case, the website updates).
I mean, it's just a website selling some merch, right? It's not like someone's making money off Slipknot's blood (that's what the masks are made of, btw 
.
. Ultimately, this whole debacle serves as a reminder for artists and content creators to stay vigilant in the digital age, but also to know when to let go 
.
I get why they wanted to protect their merch and stuff, but come on, can't you just report it or something? It's not like it's some underground site that only a select few would even know about.
! Slipknot's been playing hardball 
. Who knew trademark law could be so complicated? 
. Can't we all just get along... and buy legit merch from the band's site, am I right? 
Let's hope they don't re-file soon 
. It's like when you're trying to fix your phone and it just won't turn on 
... frustrating! 
.
But I guess this is one way for Slipknot to take back control of the situation.
. The fact that they're willing to revisit the case if needed suggests a willingness to adapt and navigate the ever-shifting landscape of online commerce 
.
.