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Now I'm Nothing: NIN frontman Trent Reznor is suing his former manager, alleging fraud and breach of fiduciary duties and, according to news reports by MTV, is seeking the exclusive rights to the name Nine Inch Nails.

In his suit, Reznor alleges that he was convinced to sign a five-year management agreement in 1989, even though material information was not disclosed in the contract. He claims that Malm and Szekelyi registered the Nine Inch Nails copyright and took 50 percent ownership in merchandising, the Nothing Records label and earnings from other Reznor projects; that more than $3 million of Reznor's money was directed to jointly owned corporations without the musician's knowledge; and that Malm and Szekelyi used Reznor's money and company money for personal travel, entertainment and expenses.

When asked what the name Nine Inch Nails means, Trent said, "I don't know if you've ever tried to think of band names, but usually you think you have a great one and you look at it the next day and it's stupid. I had about 200 of those. nine inch nails lasted the two-week test, looked great in print, and could be abbreviated easily. It really doesn't have any literal meaning. It seemed kind of frightening. [In his best he-man voice] Tough and manly! It's a curse trying to come up with band names." Apparently, it's easier to find inspiration for the words of a song, e.g. Now I'm Nothing.

Posted by abnu on Wednesday, May 26, 2004 @ 9:31 PM [ + ]

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