In February, an online clothing seller in Indonesia received an email from lawyers representing Led Zeppelin in which they warned that the band could receive up to $2 million in damages because the seller had allegedly been selling bootleg Led Zeppelin T-shirts.

Panicked and unable to pay significant damages, the seller turned to the website JustAnswer in search of free assistance from a lawyer who could help them avoid the wrath of Led Zeppelin.

“I only sell like other seller,” the unnamed recipient of the legal threat wrote in a March 1 message to a lawyer through the JustAnswer website. “I sell tshirt with image from band … I only got one sale for that item.”

Despite claiming to have only sold a single bootleg Led Zeppelin T-shirt, the panicked seller now realised they were one of the defendants in a lawsuit Led Zeppelin filed in Illinois last January as part of the group’s regular crackdowns on unauthorised merchandise.

LedZepNews has documented for years how Led Zeppelin uses trademark filings and specialist law firms to protect the band’s brand around the world and to stamp out bootleg merchandise sales. The band’s lawyers have taken legal action in the US, the UK, China and South Korea as they attempt to take down unauthorised items.

In December 2024, LedZepNews reported that the band’s lawyers were probing a US trademark registration for the brand name “Zeppelin Studio Latin America” filed by a film production business. The band eventually declined to object to the application.

Also in 2024, Led Zeppelin’s lawyers sought multiple extensions to investigate an application to trademark the business name “Lead Zeppelin” in the US from a sales business. The company eventually abandoned its trademark application.

And in 2021, Led Zeppelin’s lawyers asked the US government for more time to consider whether to oppose a trademark application for “Head Zeppelin” beer, a collaboration between a Colorado barbershop named Head Zeppelin and the Dratz Brewing Company. The band eventually declined to oppose the trademark.

Earlier this month, an Etsy seller in the UK revealed that in 2020 he had been forced to remove items being sold on Etsy featuring Led Zeppelin album cover designs.

The band has filed multiple lawsuits in the US aimed at taking down bootleg items being sold online. Counterfeit merchandise sales cause “substantial monetary loss” and “irreparable injury” to Led Zeppelin, the band’s lawyers alleged in a 2021 court filing.

Now, the conversation with the Indonesian seller published online by JustAnswer reveals what it’s like to be on the receiving end of a legal threat from Led Zeppelin.

“Hello,You are advised to seek U.S. counsel.  We represent Superhype Tapes Limited (“Plaintiff” or “Led Zeppelin”), owner of the LED ZEPPELIN trademarks (“Led Zeppelin Trademarks”), in intellectual property enforcement matters,” the email from Led Zeppelin’s lawyers sent to the T-shirt seller began. “I have attached evidence showing you offering for sale and/or selling products that infringed the Led Zeppelin Trademarks. PayPal and Stripe records indicate that $39.42 is restrained in your PayPal and Stripe accounts.”

On February 4 a judge granted Led Zeppelin’s lawyers’ request for a restraining order which allowed the band to force sellers to take down their bootleg online merchandise listings.

“By entering the Temporary Restraining Order in this case, the Court has already found that we are likely to succeed on our trademark infringement and counterfeiting and false designation of origin claims,” the lawyers wrote to the Indonesian seller.

“Pursuant to 15. U.S.C. § 1117(c), a trademark owner may elect to recover an award of statutory damages for any use of a counterfeit mark in connection with the sale, offering for sale, or distribution of goods or services. If the trademark infringement is committed willfully, trademark owners may recover up to $2,000,000 per counterfeit mark” they continued.

Essentially, the lawyers warned the online seller that if they failed to remove the items, they could be on the hook for as much as $2 million in damages.

“Based on the attached evidence and the fame of the Led Zeppelin Trademarks, we have concluded that you were willful in your infringement of our client’s intellectual property rights. The Led Zeppelin Trademarks have achieved widespread recognition and fame and are some of the most well-known marks in the world. Our client also did not authorize you to use the Led Zeppelin Trademarks,” they added.

The emails published in the JustAnswer conversation are not quoted in full and we have not been able to verify their contents, but they match the content and timings of Led Zeppelin’s court filings which we obtained through the PACER Federal Court system and appear to originate from a law firm Led Zeppelin is known to have hired.

The law firm directed the T-shirt seller to this page on its website which included case documents from Led Zeppelin’s lawsuit. “To initiate resolution of this matter, contact Superhype Tapes Limited’s attorneys,” the page reads in part.

The panicked seller pleaded with the free online legal service for help. However, it seems they misread Led Zeppelin’s email and thought the band was demanding $2,000 rather than warning of a maximum of $2 million in damages.

“They ask me to pay 2000 dollars but I don’t have that much? What can I do? I don’t have that much money,” the seller wrote. “Can you give me advice to resolve this case?”

The website replied to the seller, advising them to consult an attorney in the US who could help them.

“I can’t consult a U.S. attorney who specializes in intellectual property (IP) law, because my country is so far from U.S., I’m from Indonesia,” they replied. “I have been reply them, I can’t pay $2000 for it, so my question, if I didn’t pay it what happened with me?”

The lawyer providing advice on JustAnswer had a practical response: “They may take legal action but if you are not in the US practically it will be disproportionate for them to pursue you.”

Follow Led Zeppelin News on Twitter and Facebook to stay up to date on news as it happens. You can also sign up to our email for a digest of the latest news sent to your inbox. LedZepNews uses paid Amazon referral links to earn commissions to cover its costs.