The heavy metal band Slipknot wants its name back, at least its domain name, which the band hasn’t had control of for nearly 25 years.
Instead, a federal lawsuit filed on Wednesday, October 15, claims that the domain (obtained by Domain Name Wire) has been owned since 2001 by an entity that is not affiliated with the band. The current registered domain owner is Slipknot Online Services, Ltd., which is located in Grand Cayman.
Currently, the non-band-owned Slipknot.com has links to sell Halloween costumes, promotional products, and to book cheap hotel rooms. The band has been using the slipknot1.com website as their official site since 1998.
“The domain name was registered in an effort to profit off of plaintiff’s goodwill and to trick unsuspecting visitors — under the impression they are visiting a website owned, operated or affiliated with plaintiff — into clicking on web searches and other sponsored links,” Slipknot’s lawyer, Craig Reilly, wrote in the lawsuit, via Billboard.
He continued in the complaint, “A fan of plaintiff or someone who otherwise wanted to purchase authorized Slipknot merchandise would undoubtedly visit the slipknot.com website assuming it belonged to plaintiff and then purchase the Slipknot merchandise linked to on the site, causing damages to plaintiff.”
In the legal filing, it was claimed that the website directs users to click on links to counterfeit band merchandise, which impacts the band’s profitability.
Not only does the band want control of the website, but they are also asking for unspecified damages through the Anti-Cybersquatting Consumer Protection Act. The federal act was established in 1999 with the intent to protect trademark owners and prevent others from purchasing domains in “bad faith.”
Slipknot, whose members famously perform in masks, is not currently on tour amid this legal battle. According to drummer Eloy Casagrande, per NME, a new album is on the way, but no release date has been announced yet.
This story was originally reported by Parade on Oct 18, 2025, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.