Guns N' Roses Files Lawsuit
Monday March 15, 11:14 am ET

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 15, 2004--GUNS N' ROSES have filed a lawsuit against Geffen Records, a division of UMG Recordings, Inc., to stop the unauthorized release of a Greatest Hits package by the band. The lawsuit seeks a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction against this unauthorized release and was filed in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles. The band has not been given the opportunity to approve the choice of songs, the artwork, the release date or the re-mastering done on the tracks included on this compilation. GUNS N' ROSES have sold over 80,000,000 albums worldwide - almost 40,000,000 in the US alone - and founding member W. Axl Rose is concerned that not only will their audience be misled into believing that the planned compilation is an authorized release, but that it will hinder the release of the band's long awaited new studio album CHINESE DEMOCRACY. There has been a massive outcry among the band's loyal audience against the Greatest Hits record, as they too believe the track selection is fundamentally flawed, does not reflect the band's best work and is clearly not the ultimate package that would be selected by the band or their fan base if they were given the opportunity. They have flooded the offices of Geffen Records' senior executives with thousands of emails over the last few weeks expressing their dissent.

W. Axl Rose is joined by former band members Slash and Duff McKagan in bringing the action against Geffen Records.