It appears that Axl Rose didn't find the Dr Pepper giveaway as humorous as the rest of us. In a deft bit of one-upsmanship, Guns N' Roses are taking the soda pop company to task for bungling their offer to give everyone a free Dr Pepper if Chinese Democracy came out in 2008. With last week's release of the long-awaited GnR album putting Dr Pepper on the spot, the company offered a coupon for a free soda through their web site, which apparently couldn't handle the traffic.

Taking the offer as a cheap publicity stunt designed to piggyback on the hoopla surrounding Chinese Democracy's release, Guns N' Roses are hoisting Dr Pepper on its own sugary petard and threatening to get litigious. As Rolling Stone reports, the band is seeking a public apology and an extension of the free soda offer. In a public letter, the band, through its attorneys, states: "It turned out that Dr Pepper did not define ‘everyone in America’ the same way as ‘everyone in America’ defined ‘everyone in America.’” However, they get down to brass tacks by finally asserting, “Had you wished to engage in a commercial tie-in . . . you should have negotiated a legitimate arrangement instead of hijacking their rights without payment. Rest assured, this misappropriation will not be free.”

Coke or Pepsi wouldn't have screwed this up as badly as Dr Pepper. Hell, even RC Cola would have gotten this right.

Labels: Guns N' Roses