Domain Dispute Ends Anti-climax, Slipknot Withdraws Lawsuit Against Slipknot.com Owner

Slipknot (Instagram @slipknot)

JAKARTA - American heavy metal band Slipknot has officially decided to stop their legal action against alleged cybersquatting practices related to the slipknot.com website domain.

Based on a report from Metal Injection, the band, which is synonymous with its iconic mask, has filed a voluntary dismissal of the lawsuit they had previously filed in federal court.

This move is quite surprising considering the feud regarding ownership of the URL address has been going on for quite some time and had heated up in October last year.

Initially, Slipknot sued an anonymous person based on the Anti-Cybersquatting Consumer Protection Act. In the lawsuit, Corey Taylor et al accused the defendant of having controlled the domain slipknot.com since 2001 for commercial interests that harmed the band's reputation.

For years, Slipknot had to use an alternative domain, slipknot1.com, to run their official site.

Slipknot's lawyer, Craig Reilly, even stated that the registration of the domain name was an attempt to take advantage of his client's reputation.

"The domain names were registered as an attempt to reap profits from the goodwill of the plaintiffs and to deceive unsuspecting visitors. They are made to seem as if they are visiting a website owned, operated, or affiliated with the plaintiffs, so that they click on sponsored links," said Reilly.

He also said that fans who want to buy original merchandise will assume that the site belongs to Slipknot, which ultimately benefits third parties and causes financial losses for its clients.

Although the identity of the domain owner is still tightly closed behind a post box in the Cayman Islands, Slipknot has not yet given an official statement regarding the reason behind the withdrawal of the lawsuit.

In the midst of this legal uncertainty, Slipknot brought fresh news for their loyal fans, Maggots. Shawn 'Clown' Crahan gave a strong signal that their "lost" album titled "Look Outside Your Window" would most likely be released this year after being delayed for so long.