Pentagon Forced to Remove Metallica Song From Video After Copyright Strike

Source: Newsweek

Published Jul 13, 2025 at 8:40 PM EDT


The Pentagon removed and reposted a video that promoted its new drone initiative after the band Metallica hit the department with a copyright strike over the unauthorized use of its song "Enter Sandman." Newsweek reached out to the Pentagon by email outside of normal business hours on Sunday evening for comment.

Why It Matters

A copyright strike is when a video or social media channel faces punishment for unauthorized use of published media—either visual or audio. Unauthorized use of a song, video or photos can result in such a strike.

Metallica famously initiated the landmark lawsuit against peer-to-peer file sharing company Napster in 2000, which led to further suits that ultimately caused the company's initial collapse.

What To Know

The U.S. announced a new directive that would unleash the Department of Defense's ability to produce and improve drone technology in a bid to keep pace as "global military drone production skyrocketed" over recent years. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth featured in a flashy video that announced the new initiative, including a sequence in which a drone delivered a memo to him and backed by "Enter Sandman."

Read more: https://www.newsweek.com/pentagon-forced-remove-metallica-song-video-copy-strike-2098422