The artist formerly (and still) known as Meat Loaf, whose real name is the less tasty Michael Aday, is suing his former collaborator Jim Steinman for $50 million over the rights to the phrase "Bat Out of Hell." That was the title of Meat Loaf's 1977 album containing such hits as "Paradise by the Dashboard Light," and . . . some others. Loaf alleges that Steinman is wrongly claiming ownership of the phrase, and that although Steinman wrote the song "Bat Out of Hell" in the first place, the title phrase has been associated with Loaf for almost thirty years and he should be the only one allowed to use it now.
Steinman wrote "Bat Out of Hell" for the album "Bat Out of Hell." He also wrote and produced Loaf's second album, called "Bat Out of Hell," in 1993, but the two have since parted ways. This dispute arises now because Loaf is about to release his third album, which will be called "Bat Out of Hell," and Loaf alleges that Steinman is trying to interfere with that release by wrongly claiming that he owns the phrase "Bat Out of Hell."
I hope this dispute does not drag on so long that it interferes with the release of "Bat Out of Hell VI: Like a Bat Out of Hell," which we apparently can expect sometime around the year 2048.
Link: AP via FindLaw.com
