Metallica copyright strikes U.S. government after Pentagon used their song for training

The US Department of Defense had to remove and re-upload a drone demonstration video after Metallica requested its takedown for using Enter Sandman without permission.

The track, one of Metallica’s most well-known, was originally released in 1991 on the band’s fifth album, colloquially known as The Black Album.

The video, posted on X/Twitter by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, was originally paired with Metallica’s track. According to Rolling Stone, a representative confirmed to the site that the use of Enter Sandman had not been authorized.

Pentagon forced to pull video featuring Metallica song

A spokesperson for the Pentagon confirmed the reasons for the video’s removal and reupload, stating (via The Independent):

“This afternoon, representatives from X reached out to DoD regarding a video posted to our social media page and asked that the video be removed due to a copyright issue with the song ‘Enter Sandman’ by Metallica. The video has been taken down, corrected, and re-uploaded to our page.”

Metallica is well-known for their stance on unauthorized music use. Their legal action against Napster in 2000 is one high-profile example, and the band has consistently defended how their songs are used in other media.

In 2022, Master of Puppets, another of the band’s iconic tracks, gained explosive renewed popularity after it was used in Season 4 of Netflix’s Stranger Things. At the time, the band said it was “beyond psyched” for the track to have appeared in the show.