"People don't like the new record, Axl. We should find another way to make money, or make you look like even more of a douche bag asshole than you already are."
Whatever he and his lawyers are in it for they're still right as far as I'm concerned. It probably won't matter how many people buy the album now or how much they might get from this anyway, in terms of getting a return, considering how much has probably been spent on the album altogether. Most of the reviews seem to be positive though and with fans the reception seems to be mixed if anything so far.
They're 100% in the right, in my opinion. Dr. Pepper made the initial statement about the free soda if Chinese Democracy actually came out this year essentially to make fun of Axl and how long the album was taking. Axl wound up surprising them and actually getting it out, and Dr. Pepper half-assedly threw up an online redeeming system that was only available for 2 days, and didn't even work for most of the people who tried it. If you're going to use somebody else's trademark as part of a promotion, you better make damn sure that you hold up on your end of the bargain.