Meat Loaf resolves 'Bat Out of Hell' lawsuit

NEW YORK - Veteran rocker Meat Loaf has resolved a dispute with songwriter Jim Steinman over trademark rights to "Bat Out of Hell," dropping a multimillion-dollar lawsuit over the title of the best-selling 1977 album.

"The two came to an amicable agreement that ensured that Jim Steinman's music would be a continuing part of the 'Bat out of Hell' legacy," Virgin Records said in a statement at an event to promote the upcoming album "Bat out of Hell III: The Monster is Loose."

Meat Loaf, whose real name is Michael Aday, had filed a suit earlier this year claiming that Steinman wrongfully registered the phrase as his trademark in 1995.

Steinman wrote the title track and several others on the the original album and the 1993 follow-up "Bat out of Hell II."

The two have sold a combined total of more than 45 million copies and spawned such rock classics as "You took the words right out of my mouth" and "I'd do anything for love (but I won't do that)."

Unveiling the third album in the trilogy to the media in New York, Meat Loaf said Steinman had written seven songs on the new record.

"If it was not for Jim Steinman and his brilliance and his ability to turn a phrase and his concepts, we wouldn't be here tonight," Meat Loaf said, adding that he was sorry Steinman could not attend the event, which was held at a nightclub in Manhattan in a converted church lit with candles for the occasion.

Among the Steinman tracks on the album, which was produced by Desmond Child, known for his work with the likes of Bon Jovi and Aerosmith, is the ballad "It's all coming back to me now," which was a big hit for Celine Dion although it was originally written for the first "Bat out of Hell."

- REUTERS