The Trump campaign is facing a lawsuit from recording legend Isaac Hayes’ estate, which has accused the former president of illegally using a copyrighted song at his campaign rallies.
The Hayes estate was granted an emergency injunction on its lawsuit last week, according to Isaac Hayes III, the son of the singer-songwriter. According to a Friday social media post from Mr. Hayes, the estate sent Donald Trump and his campaign a copyright infringement notice this month.
On Friday, U.S. District Judge Thomas W. Thrash Jr. approved Mr. Hayes’ motion for an emergency hearing, scheduled for Sept. 3.
The estate is suing the campaign for using the soul classic “Hold On, I’m Comin’,” co-written by Hayes in 1966, at his rallies. According to the estate, the Trump campaign has failed to make a “meaningful effort” to ask permission or pay licensing fees to use the song.
Lawyers for the estate are demanding the Trump campaign pay $3 million in licensing fees, stop using the song, remove the copyrighted material from all videos and promotional material and issue a public disclaimer, confirming that the estate of Hayes, who died in 2008, didn’t endorse the song’s use.
The suit includes other conservative organizations tied to the Trump campaign, including Turning Point USA, the Republican National Committee and the National Rifle Association. The estate claims that the organizations have contributed to the alleged illegal use of the song by hosting Trump campaign events.
Claims that the Trump campaign has illegally used copyright material have circulated for years. Just this year, Celine Dion, the Foo Fighters, Beyonce and the estate of Sinead O’Connor accused the Trump campaign of illegally using their music.
• Vaughn Cockayne can be reached at vcockayne@washingtontimes.com.
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