The soul legend's estate has sent a letter to the former president regarding the misuse of Isaac Hayes' intellectual property.
Donald Trump is guilty of many crimes, and one of them is questionable taste in music. We say, ” doubtful “, and not ” bad “, because while the songs he chooses for his campaign rallies are often good in themselves, the former president has a bad habit of playing them without getting permission from the rights holders involved. The latest example: he just received a letter from the estate of Isaac Hayes, which insists that Donald Trump immediately stop playing ” Hold On, I'm Coming ” and is demanding $3 million to compensate him for all the times he has played it so far.
Atlanta-based attorney James Walker sent the letter on Aug. 11, criticizing Mr. Trump and his campaign for playing the Stax Records classic “ without the permission of the copyright holder, despite our client repeatedly warning us not to engage in such illegal use. ” The complaint includes an annex with a ” non-exhaustive list ” of ” more than a hundred times “that Mr. Trump played” Hold On, I'm Coming » during its meetings since 2022, and notes: « As we were preparing this letter, there was an additional use in Montana just two nights ago, when your office was apparently aware that you did not have authorization. » (Read the report from WECB at this rally in Montana, where the song ” Memory » of Cats has been widely used).
We the family of @isaachayes Isaac Hayes Enterprises, represented by Walker & Associates, are suing @realDonaldTrump and his campaign for 134 counts copyright infringement for the unauthorized use of the song “Hold On I'm Coming” at campaign rallies from 2022-2024. pic.twitter.com/uwbJbB32Ya
— Isaac Hayes (@isaachayes) August 11, 2024
The musician's son, Isaac Hayes III, decried Trump's X-rated campaign, writing: “ Donald Trump represents the worst of integrity and class with his disrespect and sexual abuse of women and his racist rhetoric. We will now deal with that very quickly. »
Today, on the birthday of my father @isaachayes death we have repeatedly asked Donald Trump, the RNC and his representatives not to use “Hold on I'm Coming” written by Isaac Hayes and David Porter during campaign rallies but yet again, in Montana they used it.
Donald Trump…
— Isaac Hayes III (@IsaacHayes3) August 10, 2024
Hayes, who died in 2008, wrote: Hold On, I'm Coming ” with his accomplice David Porter. The song was recorded by the duo Sam & Dave of Stax, who took it to the top of the R&B chart of the Billboard in 1966 and made it one of the most beloved hits in soul music history. Politicians have tried to use the song before (there was even a brief spat in 2008 between the duo's Sam Moore and then-candidate Barack Obama over its use). Hayes and his estate have also challenged other politicians to use songs he wrote. They clearly don't want candidates using their music for political gain, but Trump continues to do so.
Mr. Trump has made unauthorized use of popular music a hallmark of his political career. Last week, Celine Dion asked him to stop playing “ my heart Will Go On “He has received similar complaints in the past for using songs by Tom Petty, Rihanna, the Rolling Stones, the Village People, John Fogerty, Aerosmith, Linkin Park, Journey and others. When it comes to copyright, as in so many other areas, he seems to believe he is above the law.
The Hayes estate letter goes on to explain that when it orders Trump to pay $3 million for all of these unauthorized uses, it is actually “ of a very low royalty for the normal licensing fee associated with this number of multiple uses. The normal royalty for these infringements will be ten times higher if we sue, starting at $150,000 per use. »
The estate is demanding a response from Mr. Trump by August 16, five days after the letter was dated. After that, they say they will file a lawsuit.
