Carlos Santana, Grateful Dead, and surviving members of Led Zeppelin and The Doors are among the artists backing a lawsuit in San Francisco against a website selling vintage rock memorabilia. The website - www.wolfgangsvault.com - is owned by one William Sagan who acquired the assets of late concert promoter Bill Graham, which included his archives which in turn included millions of promotional items and tour imagery relating to bands Graham was involved in promoting. Sagan is now reproducing items and imagery from the archives, and selling the products via his website.
Lawyers representing some of the artists whose old memorabilia is now being sold on the site argue that by acquiring Graham's archive Sagan did not acquire the right to reproduce goods and imagery for sale. Legal man Jeff Reeves told reporters this week: "Sagan simply doesn't have the legal rights to exploit and profit from the extraordinary success of these musicians. This memorabilia was created in the first place for the purposes of promoting concerts and as gifts for fans and concert crew".
Grateful Dead guitarist and singer Bob Weir went even further, accusing Sagan of theft, and adding: "We have never given permission for our images and material to be used in this way. What Sagan is doing is stealing."
Sagan has yet to respond to the lawsuit.