Another lawsuit has been filed against Donald Trump, this time by Isaac Hayes’s estate.
On August 10, 2008, Hayes Isaac passed away at the age of 65. After Sidney Poitier and Hattie McDaniel, he became the third Black person to win an Academy Award in any competitive area when he won for best original song in 1972 for “Theme from Shaft.”
“Hold On, I’m Coming,” written by Hayes and David Porter, was released on the Stax label in 1966 and peaked at No. 21 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song was covered by the soul duet Sam & Dave.
In a copyright infringement letter, Isaac Hayes Enterprises’ attorneys claimed that the late artist’s song “Hold On, I’m Coming” had been played “multiple occasions during various political rallies” without permission.
“It has come to our attention that you or the campaign have authorized the illegal public performance of the song on multiple occasions during various rallies for your political campaign without authorization from the copyright holder, despite being asked repeatedly not to engage in such illegal use by our client,” stated the letter written by James L. Walker, Jr.
The documents, dated Monday, August 11, list 134 instances of copyright violations that occurred at political gatherings between 2022 and 2024.
The family of Isaac Hayes has threatened to sue former President Donald Trump if his campaign does not stop using the late soul singer’s song “Hold On, I’m Coming” at his rallies.
The late soul musician Isaac Hayes’s family has vowed to sue former President Donald Trump’s campaign if he continues to play the song “Hold On, I’m Coming” at his rallies.
Isaac Hayes III, the son of Hayes, said in a letter posted on social media on Sunday that “we demand the cessation of use, removal of all related videos, a public disclaimer, and payment of $3 million in licensing fees by August 16, 2024.” “There will be further legal action taken if you don’t cooperate.”
“The normal fee for these infringements will be 10 times as much if we litigate, starting at $150,000 per use,” it stated.
Isaac Hayes III provided more direct justifications for attempting to dissociate his father’s work from the Trump campaign on his own Instagram account on Sunday. “Donald Trump’s constant unauthorized exploitation of my father’s music, together with his history of sexual violence against women and his racist remarks, are the epitome of dishonesty and lack of class. Isaac Hayes III commented, “We will swiftly take action to put an end to this behavior, which will no longer be tolerated.”
“It is extremely regrettable that these musicians have openly requested on social media that Team Trump and other contenders refrain from using their music—and yet their candidates continue to do so,” James L. Walker Jr., a Hayes Enterprises lawyer,
Celine Dion recently criticized the former US president for using “My Heart Will Go On” during his rally in Montana, according to CBS News. The statement claims that Celine Dion’s management team and record company, Sony Music Entertainment Canada, “became aware” on Saturday of the unapproved use of the image, video, performance, and likeness of her singing “My Heart Will Go On” at a Donald Trump/JD Vance campaign rally in Montana.
Since Trump’s initial presidential campaign in 2015, a number of musicians have voiced objections to the usage of their songs at political rallies, including the Rolling Stones, Adele, Rihanna, the estate of Sinead O’Connor, and Steven Tyler of Aerosmith.