Neil Young sues Donald Trump's re-election campaign for using his songs
He's a rock and roll legend
Rock & Roll legend Neil Young is suing Donald Trump's re-election campaign for copyright infringement, after alleging that his music has been repeatedly used at the president’s rallies without his permission.
The 74-year-old said he could not allow his work to be used as a "theme song for a divisive, un-American campaign of ignorance and hate."
In a complaint filed in a New York Court this week, Young objected to two of his songs, 'Rockin’ in the Free World' and 'Devil’s Sidewalk', being played at rallies and political events for entertainment purposes.
Young claims that the Trump campaign played both songs at a rally in Tulsa Oklahoma on the 20th June this year, which controversially went ahead despite concerns over the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
The complaint states the "campaign does not now have, and did not at the time of the Tulsa rally, have a license or Plaintiff's permission" to play the songs at any "public political event".
According to Young, he has “continuously” complained about President Trump’s use of his songs since 2015. He claims his first complaint came after “Rockin’ in the Free World” was played as Mr Trump announced he was running for the presidency. Unfortunately, despite his complaints, Young claims to have been “wilfully ignored.”
The lawsuit claims that the Trump campaign "wilfully proceeded" to play Neil Young’s songs "despite its knowledge that a license is required to do so.
The Trump campaign has yet to make any comment on the lawsuit.
Neil Young isn’t the only musician to have been angered by the US president's use of their material. Just last month, The Rolling Stones threatened President Trump with legal action if he continued to use their songs at his campaign rallies.
Keith Richards and Mick Jagger have also recently signed an open letter, along with artists such as Aerosmith and Sir Elton John, calling on politicians to obtain permission before playing their music at political events.