Lars Ulrich

Music Celebrities, influencers and social media

Danish musician born in 1963, co-founder and drummer of Metallica.

Metallica co-founder and drummer Lars Ulrich publicly led the band’s legal fight against Napster in the early 2000s, drawing backlash from fans. He also defended the widely criticised drum sound on St. Anger and responded to objections about Metallica appearing at Glastonbury in 2014.

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Profile No. 6038 · Updated on 7 November 2026

2Documented controversies

3Sources

0Formal charge · all time

0Conviction

§ Legal statuses reflect the documented sources as of the date shown; they replace neither court decisions nor the presumption of innocence. Counts are not a rating. Methodology

I. Documented controversies

Case · 2 documented stages

2001: Metallica–Napster civil settlement

Civil / administrative proceedings — against Napster (société défenderesse)

July 2001

2001: Metallica–Napster civil settlement

Civil / administrative proceedings — against Napster (société défenderesse)

Protagonist is the complainant — these proceedings are not counted in their formal charges or convictions.

Napster announced that it had settled the lawsuit brought by Metallica. Financial terms were not disclosed; lawyers said the band’s music could eventually return on a licensed, royalty-paying basis. The dispute closed through settlement rather than a criminal judgment.

State of the evidence: The Los Angeles Times reported the settlement; detailed terms were not public.
Legal status — source text: Settlement announced in July 2001; no criminal conviction in this matter.
Attribution: Negotiated resolution of the copyright dispute.
Person targeted by the proceedings: Napster (société défenderesse)
Role of the person profiled: Protagonist is the complainant

Sources · 2

[1]
Los Angeles TimesNapster Acts to Relaunch Song Service13 July 2001MediaHigh reliability
[2]
ABC NewsCongress Holds Hearing on Digital Music11 July 2000MediaHigh reliability

Last verified: 7 November 2026

Add to this entry Any news?

April–July 2000

2000: Metallica sues Napster over unauthorised sharing

Civil / administrative proceedings — against Napster (société défenderesse)

Protagonist is the complainant — these proceedings are not counted in their formal charges or convictions.

Metallica sued Napster, alleging unauthorised distribution of its recordings. Ulrich served as the public face of the action, including testimony before the US Senate. Some fans criticised the move as hostile to file sharing; the band insisted that artists should control how their work is distributed.

State of the evidence: Contemporaneous reporting records the lawsuit and Ulrich’s testimony.
Legal status — source text: Metallica’s civil lawsuit against Napster ended in a July 2001 settlement.
Attribution: Criticism of the band’s strict stance on music sharing.
Person targeted by the proceedings: Napster (société défenderesse)
Role of the person profiled: Protagonist is the complainant

Sources · 3

[1]
ABC NewsCongress Holds Hearing on Digital Music11 July 2000MediaHigh reliability
[2]
MacworldInterview with Lars Ulrich30 April 2000MediaHigh reliability
[3]
Los Angeles TimesNapster Acts to Relaunch Song Service13 July 2001MediaHigh reliability

Last verified: 7 November 2026

Add to this entry Any news?

II. Constellation of documented links

No documented link with another published profile for now.

Two profiles are linked when a documented controversy of one names the other. The link points to that controversy and its sources; it does not indicate a personal relationship.

III. Has something changed?

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Controversia profile, updated 7 November 2026. Latest version: https://controversia.info/en/fiche/lars-ulrich