Don Henley and Glenn Frey Sue Concert Archivist for Screening Unlicensed Eagles Footage

BY Alex HudsonPublished Dec 1, 2014

Don Henley famously threatened Frank Ocean and Okkervil River with legal action, and now the cranky rocker has teamed up with Eagles bandmate Glenn Frey to sue a concert archivist for allegedly screening unlicensed live footage of the band and charging fans to see it.

According to their complaint, Long Island resident William Shelley has charged admission for fans to come watch bootleg concert footage of the Eagles. The New York Daily News reports that the Eagles sent him cease-and-desist letters, but these were ignored.

Shelley isn't just a run-of-the-mill amateur bootlegger, however. He's got his own company called the Shelley Archives, and the Guardian reports that he has more than 100,000 reels (adding up to over 10,000 hours) of 35mm and 16mm films. These include concerts, interviews, promo clips, home videos and more. In addition to the Eagles, he has apparently hosted events highlighting footage of Fleetwood Mac and the Rolling Stones.

The lawsuit states that Shelley is using the footage to "bolster his reputation as a purported music industry 'insider' with close connections and ties to many classic rock greats."

Henley and Frey are seeking to gain possession of the man's entire collection of concert films. The copyright-infringement suit was filed in Brooklyn Federal Court.

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