Nirvana Sued For Copyright Infringement Over 1949 Illustration

They’ve Been Using It Without Permission

British artist heir Jocelyn Susan Bundy sued Nirvana, Silva Artist Management LLC, Live Nation Merchandise LLC, and Merch Traffic LLC unit. Bundy is the granddaughter of C.W. Scott-Giles and she claims that the grunge legends have been using a diagram from 1949 that her grandfather drew – a map of the circles of hell as described in Dante Alighieri’s The Divine Comedy.

The copyright infringement lawsuit accused Nirvana of making profits from the illustration since 1997 on merchandise like clothes, mugs, vinyl records, buttons, buttons that they have sold worldwide without permission. She is also alleging that the band has been using the image illegally as early as 1989.

Part of the suit reads, “In documents filed in two other copyright actions before this Court, Defendant NIRVANA has implied that Kurt Cobain created the Illustration or, in the alternative, that the Illustration is in the public domain in the United States.”

According to Bundy, her grandfather’s diagram is protected under the copyright law in the UK and is not considered in the public domain. She wants to stop the production and distribution of merchandise with the said image. She’s also seeking damages that includes all the profits Nirvana made “as a result of their infringing conduct”.