Eagles Front Men Take on Accused Bootlegger

CENTRAL ISLIP, N.Y. (CN) - A Long Island man allegedly playing bootleg copies of Eagles concerts drew a federal complaint from front men Don Henley and Glenn Frey.

Described in the complaint filed Friday as a self-styled "film archivist," Bill Shelley allegedly hosts events in New York City where he performs edited and copied versions of Eagles performances.

Last month, the Avon Theater in Stamford, Conn., announced an event where Shelley would perform a "re-mastered" recording of an Eagles concert from the '70s, according to the lawsuit.

Henley and Frey say the recoding was unauthorized, and that their attorneys have been unsuccessful after "multiple" attempts to contact Shelley.

Shelley has "refused" their requests to stop playing the allegedly bootlegged footage, according to the complaint.

The action describes Henley and Frey as founders of "one of the most successful American musical groups of all time," adding that every Eagles album since 1972 has gone platinum.

Hits that the two co-wrote include "Hotel California," "Lyin' Eyes," "Wasted Time," "Take It to the Limit" and "Desperado."

They seek unspecified damages for copyright infringement and bootlegging, and are represented by Tal Dickstein with Loeb & Loeb in Manhattan.

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