Notorious Rebels Hell’s Angels Picking Fights, In The Courtroom

Recognized world-wide as symbols of a violent, individualistic American counter-culture, biker gang the Hell’s Angels has now come to see themselves as something a bit different: a valuable brand. The New York Times traces how the 65-year old group evolved from rebels without a discernible cause to litigious force looking to protect its name, logo, and intellectual property from Hollywood, Toys “R” Us, and even teen girls selling patches online. The most active lawyer for the Hell’s Angel’s – or to be precise, for the Hells Angels Motorcycle Corporation, a nonprofit established in California in 1970 for the purpose of safeguarding the club’s IP – is 67 year old Fritz Clapp, who started working for the Angel’s in 1992, when they sued Marvell Comics.