Danzig is suing Jerry Only for putting the Misfits logo on a bunch of dumb merch

By Marah Eakin | May 6, 2014 | 5:05pm

Aux Features Music

Onetime Misfits frontman Glenn Danzig is suing the band’s bassist, Jerry Only, claiming that Only cut him out of the decisions—and the money—related to the recent slapping of the Misfits logo on merch items like faux-Ugg boots, bikinis, and beach-ready bucket hats. According to Re-Tox, Only, Danzig, and others cut a deal in 1994, “in which Danzig, Jerry, and others agreed to share ownership of the Misfits trademark for merchandising purposes.” Fast forward to 2000, when Only allegedly “registered trademarks for everything Misfits-related… behind Danzig’s back.” Only then entered into deals with various brands and merchandisers, including Hot Topic, that essentially cut Danzig and the others “out of any potential profits in the process.” In the lawsuit, Danzig claims that “Jerry even threatened to withhold licensing rights from merchandisers if they did business with Danzig at all”—though proving that will probably be difficult without a trail of e-mails or recorded phone calls.

Danzig, who left the Misfits in 1983, is suing for breach of contract (among other things), claiming that he’s solely responsible for the Misfits’ fame. As noted in one section of the lawsuit, Danzig was the one who brought Only into the group after its founding, even though Only’s “primary qualification was that he had recently received a bass guitar for Christmas.”