The household of Isaac Hayes is suing Donald Trump and his marketing campaign for continued unauthorized use of the Sam & Dave hit track “Maintain on, I’m Coming,” which was co-written by the late soul icon.
On Sunday, Isaac Hayes III, the Grammy and Oscar-winner’s son, posted on social media that the household had filed go well with over the Trump marketing campaign’s use of the Sam & Dave hit at its rallies from 2022 to this yr, as most lately as in Montana on Aug. 9 “even together with your workplace apparently conscious that you simply had no permission,” based on the authorized letter.
“We the household of @_isaachayes Isaac Hayes Enterprises, represented by Walker & Associates, are suing Donald Trump and his marketing campaign for 134 counts copyright infringement for the unauthorized use of the track “Maintain on, I’m Coming” at marketing campaign rallies from 2022-2024,” the official Isaac Hayes account posted on X (previously Twitter), in a submit signed by The Hayes Household.
The submit added, “We demand the cessation of use, elimination of all associated movies, a public disclaimer, and fee of $3 million in licensing charges by August 16, 2024. Failure to conform will lead to additional authorized motion.”
Within the Discover of Copyright Infringement dated Aug. 11 and addressed to each Trump and the Trump marketing campaign, which was obtained by The Hollywood Reporter on Monday, the household’s lawyer James L. Walker, Jr. additionally requested the marketing campaign launch an official assertion as an official disclaimer that the household and Hayes Property “haven’t licensed, endorsed or permitted use of the Isaac Hayes Enterprises’ property at any level, now or in perpetuity all through the universe.”
On his personal Instagram account Sunday, Isaac Hayes III elaborated extra forthright causes for attempting to distance his father’s work from the Trump marketing campaign. “Donald Trump epitomizes an absence of integrity and sophistication, not solely by means of his steady use of my father’s music with out permission but in addition by means of his historical past of sexual abuse towards girls and his racist rhetoric. This conduct will not be tolerated, and we’ll take swift motion to place an finish to it,” Isaac Hayes III wrote.
He added, “We stand in solidarity with all musicians whose work has been co-opted with out consent by divisive political campaigns. A musical performer’s artwork is a mirrored image of their soul, not a software for selling hatred or bigotry. It’s time for all artists to unite and demand respect for his or her inventive legacies.”
Hayes co-wrote “Maintain on, I’m Coming” together with his songwriting accomplice David Porter. The track, which was first launched by Sam & Dave in 1996, hit No. 1 on the Billboard R&B charts and achieved gold standing.
The track has develop into a daily function of Trump’s rallies, with it typically taking part in earlier than and after the previous president’s stump speech. It additionally featured prominently on the 2024 Republican Nationwide Conference, with a band taking part in the track after Trump completed his prolonged and meandering 90-minute speech.
The Hayes household lawsuit is simply the most recent authorized battle between musicians and the Trump marketing campaign. The likes of The Beatles, Adele, Aerosmith, Bruce Springsteen, Elton John and Earth, Wind & Hearth have slammed Trump and his workforce for utilizing their music at political occasions. Certainly, the variety of musicians who’ve publicly requested that the Trump marketing campaign cease utilizing their work is so prolonged that it has its personal Wikipedia entry.
On Saturday, Celine Dion’s administration workforce launched a press release on behalf of the artist and her file label Sony for the Trump marketing campaign’s use of the Titanic hit “My Coronary heart Will Go On,” at a rally in Montana on Friday. “Under no circumstances is that this use licensed, and Celine Dion doesn’t endorse this or any related use…. And actually, THAT track?” the assertion stated.
Aug. 12, 8:30 a.m. Up to date to incorporate the Discover of Copyright Infringement.