Joe Francis has had a major change of heart about Madonna ... because 4 months ago ... he PROMISED he wouldn't sue if she used the name "Girls Gone Wild" on her album ... and TMZ has the footage to prove it.
Back in November, we asked Francis about the then-rumor that Madge titled one of her songs, "Girls Gone Wild" ... and Francis happily replied, "I'm excited about that!"
We asked if he was cool with the situation, legally ... to which he explained, "I'm REALLY cool with that actually ... I'm not going to sue you Madonna ... I love you, I love Madonna."
Fast forward to last night ... when Joe once again made it clear he wasn't going to back down from his new demand that Madge PAY HIM for using the name ... because he owns the rights to everything GGW-related, including Girl Gone Wild.
He added, "We've spent almost a billion dollars building this brand ... and she's not going to get a free ride on my brand. But I love the song, I hope it does well ... and I look forward to being a profit participant."