I hardly think that being a critic of their music is sour grapes. I certainly don't begrudge their success or care that they have fans.
Simmons is being blasted on FB for his intent to trademark a gesture that others used earlier. That's missing the point. Wouldn't matter if he were the first to use it. The problem is an attempted abuse of trademark law to suppress expression by others. IMHO just another reason why trademark should be strictly limited to brand names and logos.
That wasn't directed at you, Dave, - or even the criticism of Gene's business acumen, which is certainly a crucial element in their level of success and has been a favorite target of their critics. Since the 1970s, there have been plenty of times when I have taken issue with things they have said, done or recorded. If you were a fan back then, odds are you had to endure the slings and arrows of friends who were fans of "serious" rock bands (as if there were such things) lambasting Kiss' abilities as musicians. Those grapes are not only sour, but are so old that they could be classified as raisins. There have been plenty of bands with fair-to-middling skills that have become successful, but Kiss were an easy target because they were very visual and took advantage of their own marketing potential. Peter Frampton had similar issues and he was a far more accomplished player - actually, Humble Pie was an influence on Kiss in the early days. Kiss' music can be critiqued, their work ethic can not.
With regard to the devil horns thing - I'm not even sure that story had broken when I posted, but since you raised it...
While it may seem ridiculous to us to try and trademark a hand gesture that has been around for centuries, is use has become a mainstay of the heavy metal community, and as such has been used as an element in the creation of commercial product - including logos - that appear on t-shirts and albums. If you're making money from it, it isn't simply expression. In that context, it is literally an untapped revenue stream. I would venture a guess that it this type of use that would be targeted - not somebody holding up their hand. Gene first used it in concert and on album covers around 1976-77. Ronnie James Dio began using it in concert around the same time and stated in interviews that he would be surprised if he was the first to use it. There were sporadic, almost incidental uses prior to that, but nobody laid claim to it as far as I know. I'm not a lawyer (nor do I play one at the Outpost), but that kind of makes it fair game, no?