Thursday, March 25, 2010 6:46am ET by  

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Green Day sued over use of artwork

Green Day are being sued by an artist for allegedly using his work without permission.

The rock band are being accused of using an image of a fang-toothed face during their concerts, in a music video and across their website last year.

According to TMZ, artist Dereck Seltzer has filed a lawsuit against the group at Los Angeles federal court, alleging he created the image years ago and copyrighted the picture. He also claims that his permission was never asked for use of the image on the band's material.

Green Day's lawyer, Don Passman, insists that the image was provided by a reputable company and was unaware of any legal issues. He told the site: "Green Day received Mr. Seltzer's image from a responsible company and was unaware that there could be any copyright or other issues."