Rush Issue Cease & Desist To US DJ
They join Peter Gabriel in slamming Rush Limbaugh
The Huffington Post reports that Rush have issued the cease and desist to stop Limbaugh from using their songs during his show - something which he had done fairly regularly in the past.
Their lawyer sent a letter to the various parties involved in Limbaugh's radio show saying:
"According to media reports, Rush Limbaugh, Premiere Radio Networks and The Rush Limbaugh Show have been using Rush's recorded music as part of what is essentially a political broadcast.
"The use of Rush's music in this way is an infringement of Rush's copyrights and trademarks. The public performance of Rush's music is not licensed for political purposes and any such use is in breach of public performance licenses and constitutes copyright infringement. There are civil and criminal remedies for copyright infringement, including statutory damages and fines.
"In addition, the use of Rush's music in this manner implies an endorsement of the views expressed and products advertised on the show, and is in breach of not only copyright and trademark rights, but also, of section 51 of the New York Civil Rights Law (excerpt attached)."
Rush join Peter Gabriel in demanding that their music is removed from his show in the future following a rant by the conservative DJ about a law student whom he called a "slut" and a "prostitute" on air after she spoke to congress about free contraception for female students at Georgetown university.