August 13th 2024.
It seems that once again, Donald Trump has landed himself in hot water with a copyright infringement lawsuit. This time, it's over his unauthorized use of music at his campaign rallies. The 2024 presidential hopeful has been hit with a notice of copyright infringement from the estate of Issac Hayes, who co-wrote the 1966 song "Hold On, I'm Coming" with David Porter. According to Billboard, the suit was filed on August 11 and lists a whopping 134 counts of copyright infringement for the music played at Trump's rallies from 2022 to 2024.
In a statement shared by Hayes' son, Isaac Hayes III, on the social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter), the family's demands were made clear. They are seeking the immediate cessation of use, removal of all related videos, a public disclaimer, and a payment of $3 million in licensing fees by August 16, 2024. Failure to comply will result in further legal action, as stated in the notice.
The root of the lawsuit stems from Trump's use of the song, originally performed by Sam & Dave, at a recent rally on July 31 in Harrisburg, PA. Hayes and Porter, who were working at Stax Studios at the time, came up with the title when Hayes jokingly tried to get Porter to hurry out of the restroom and get back to writing music. The single went on to top the Billboard Hot R&B Singles chart and reached number 21 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Interestingly, the same song was revamped and used as a promotional single for Louisiana Governor Edwin Edwards' third election campaign in 1982. However, this is not the case for Trump, who did not receive permission from the artists to use their music. In fact, as James L. Walker Jr., an attorney for Hayes Enterprises, pointed out, the artists have publicly asked Trump and other candidates not to use their music, yet he continues to do so.
The Isaac Hayes estate is just the latest to join a list of top artists and songwriters who have filed lawsuits against Trump for using their music without permission at his political events. This has been happening since he first ran for president in 2015. Some of the other artists who have taken legal action include The Rolling Stones, Adele, Rihanna, Sinead O'Connor's estate, and Aerosmith's Steven Tyler. It's worth noting that Hayes passed away on August 10, 2008, at the age of 65.
In related news, Vice President Kamala Harris has recently been granted access to use the song "Freedom" in her campaign after receiving approval from Beyoncé. This serves as a reminder that it's always important to obtain permission and respect the rights of artists when using their music for any purpose. Let's hope this serves as a lesson for Trump and his team going forward.
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