After touring duties for the album were finished , Metallica filed a lawsuit against Elektra Records , which tried to force the record label to terminate the band 's contract and give the band ownership of their master recordings . The band based its claim on a section of the California Labor Code that allows employees to be released from a personal services contract after seven years . Metallica had sold 40 million copies worldwide upon the filing of the suit . Metallica had been signed to the label for over a decade but was still operating under the terms of its original 1984 contract , which provided a relatively low 14 % royalty rate . The band members said they were taking the action because they were ambivalent about Robert Morgado 's refusal to give them another record deal along with Bob Krasnow , who retired from his job at the label shortly afterwards . Elektra responded by counter-suing the band , but in December 1994 , Warner Music Group United States chairman Doug Morris offered Metallica a lucrative new deal in exchange for dropping the suit , which was reported to be even more generous than the earlier Krasnow deal . In January 1995 , both parties settled out of court with a non-disclosure agreement . Metallica played the album in its entirety during the 2012 European Black Album Tour
2012 European Black Album Tour
2012 European Black Album Tour
Metallica (album)