Megadeth Sued For Alleged Copyright Infringement Over Cover Art

Megadeth have been sued for alleged copyright infringement by illustrator Brent Elliott White, over the cover art of the heavy metal legends' latest album, The Sick, the Dying… and the Dead! 

White claims that he "created artwork and characters over time for Megadeth that have become an integral part of the band’s identity" and was contacted about potentially working on the album art in early 2020, per The Hollywood Reporter.

In the lawsuit obtained by The Hollywood Reporter, no written contract was signed at the time, and coming up with the concept for the dystopian album cover "involved multiple revisions and edits and hundreds of hours of work."

In April 2021, Megadeth chose the concept art they liked and asked White to work on a cover. White alleges that in June last year, the band's manager, Bob Johnsen reached out and asked for further renderings of the art for an upcoming tour poster. 

White claims that he sent a text that pointed out that he hadn't been paid nor received a contract. In the complaint, White shared Johnsen's response, which read, "No one intended to not have this papered by now," and that he planned to "bring it up the right way."

White seeks damages and payment from the album's profits - The Sick, the Dying… and the Dead! is a hit album and features the Grammy Award nominated track, We'll Be Back. Universal Music Group and representatives for the band haven't responded to The Hollywood Reporter for comment.

You can take a look at the full lawsuit here.

Megadeth will be joined by special guests In Flames for two nights in Adelaide and Melbourne as part of the Knotfest Australia sideshows.

Spanning over four decades of existence, Megadeth’s legacy pioneering the thrash metal genre into the global zeitgeist has garnered multiple platinum albums, with over 38 million units sold worldwide, as well as a sea of Grammy Award nominations, including a win in 2017 for Best Metal Performance for their track Dystopia. Their 16th album, The Sick, The Dying…And The Dead! was released last year.