(PatrioticPost.com)- Rock and roll legend Neil Young doesn’t want President Donald Trump to keep on rockin’ his songs at political events.
In fact, he’s suing the president to get him to stop doing so, and is also seeking damages for what he’s already done.
Young, who has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as both a solo artist and with his band Buffalo Springfield, sued the Trump campaign for using two of his songs for what he labeled as an “un-American campaign of ignorance and hate.”
The two songs in questions are “Devil’s Sidewalk” and “Rockin’ in the Free World.” Young is originally from Canada but is now also a U.S. citizen. He has lived in America for a few decades now.
According to the lawsuit, Young first complained about the Trump campaign’s use of his songs since back in 2015, but he has been consistently and “willfully” ignored about those requests.
Now, he is seeking monetary damages of up to $150,000 per copyright infringement — since the Trump campaign didn’t get his permission to play the songs at their rallies. Some of the incidents include Trump’s July visit to Mount Rushmore and his June rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
The lawsuit reads:
“This complaint is not intended to disrespect the rights and opinions of American citizens, who are free to support the candidate of their choosing. However, Plaintiff in good conscience cannot allow his music to be used as a ‘theme song’ for a divisive, un-American campaign of ignorance and hate.”
It continues:
“Plaintiff has continuously and publicly objected to the use by the Campaign of the Songs. The first such objection was in connection with Trump’s playing of ‘Rockin’ in the Free World’ at his June 16, 2015, announcement that he was running for president. In response, the Campaign issued a statement stating that it had procured a license to do so, thus acknowledging that it knew a license is required.
“The Campaign has willfully ignored Plaintiff’s telling it not to play the Songs and willfully proceeded to play the Songs despite its lack of a license and despite its knowledge that a license is required to do so.”
Young has been a consistent critic of Trump, bashing him openly many times. He’s not the only famous musical artist who has had a problem with the campaign’s use of his music at events, though.
The Rolling Stones sent a warning to the Trump campaign in July, threatening legal action of their own if the campaign continued to play their songs at his rallies.
Beyond that, Keith Richards and Mick Jagger of The Rolling Stones joined forces with Sir Elton John and the band Aerosmith to pen an open letter asking politicians to seek artists’ permission before playing their songs at political events and campaign events.
Music licenses that are issued to venues and concert halls don’t cover political rallies, music rights organization BMI has said. Instead, candidates for political office have to obtain a Political Entities License. This gives them access to up to 15 million songs to use at events. To date, the Trump campaign has not obtained such a license.
