- Isaac Hayes' family wants three million.
Donald Trump's (78) campaign team appears to have used a song by soul musician Isaac Hayes (1942-2008) multiple times to promote the former U.S. president. The family of the late singer intends to sue Trump and his team for copyright infringement in 134 cases, as announced on social media. The song "Hold On (I'm Coming)", co-written by Hayes, was allegedly used without permission at campaign events between 2022 and 2024.
In a letter published on August 11, it is stated that the rights to the song belong to the family and Isaac Hayes Enterprises. They have been informed that Trump or the campaign's responsible parties had permitted the song to be played publicly without the authorization of the rights holders, despite repeated requests to stop.
What Trump and his team should do by August 16
Trump and his team are now being asked, among other things, to stop using the song, remove all videos containing the song from the internet, publicly state that they did not have the rights to use it, and pay at least $3 million. This amount is a reduced fee, as in a lawsuit, the amount could increase to ten times that. There is talk of $150,000 being due for each case of infringement. If Trump's side does not react accordingly, they intend to take all necessary legal steps.
Similar cases with upset artists - including Neil Young (78) and the Rolling Stones - have occurred in the past. Recently, Céline Dion's (56) social media team also reported the unauthorized use of her hit "My Heart Will Go On" on Instagram. "Today, the management team of Céline Dion and her record label Sony Music Entertainment Canada Inc. became aware of the unauthorized use of the video, recording, musical performance, and likeness of Céline Dion at a campaign event for Donald Trump and J.D. Vance in Montana, singing 'My Heart Will Go On'. This was 'in no way authorized'. The singer does not endorse this type of use."
The Commission, in compliance with Article 11 (2), should adopt the necessary implementing acts to address the issue of copyright infringement in light of Trump'suse of "Hold On (I'm Coming)" without permission. In response to the lawsuit and requests to stop, Trump and his team are expected to comply with the demands, including ceasing use of the song, removing related videos, and issuing a public statement of non-authorization, while also considering the potential substantial financial penalties.
