A federal judge has ordered Donald Trump and his campaign to stop using the song 'Hold On, I'm Coming' amid a lawsuit filed by soul legend Isaac Hayes' estate.
ADVERTISEMENTDonald Trump and his campaign have been ordered to cease using the classic soul hit 'Hold On, I'm Coming' while the family of one of the song's co-writers pursues a lawsuit against the former president over its use.
The lawsuit, filed last month by the estate of Isaac Hayes Jr., claims that Trump, his campaign, and several associates infringed on the song's copyright and should pay damages.
Hayes, who died in 2008 at age 65, co-wrote the 1966 hit for the soul duo Sam and Dave with David Porter.
After a hearing on the estate's request for an emergency preliminary injunction, US District Judge Thomas Thrash ruled that Trump must stop using the song. However, he denied a request to force the campaign to take down any existing videos that include the song.
Ronald Coleman, an attorney for Trump and his campaign told reporters after the hearing that the campaign had already agreed not to use the song going forward: “The campaign has no interest in annoying or hurting anyone, and if the Hayes family feels that it hurts or annoys them, that's fine, we're not going to force the issue."
Hayes' son, Isaac Hayes III told reporters he was “very grateful and happy” for the judge's decision. “I want this to serve as an opportunity for other artists to come forward that don't want their music used by Donald Trump or other political entities and continue to fight for music artists' rights and copyright,” he said.
The Hayes family follow a long line of artists and their heirs who have objected to Trump using their songs during his events. Everyone from Tom Petty, ABBA, Neil Young, Beyoncé, The Rolling Stones via Adele, Bruce Springsteen and Sinead O'Connor has issued the politician with cease-and-desist orders.
After a Trump campaign rally in Bozeman, Montana, last month featured a video of Celine Dion performing 'My Heart Will Go On,' her team put out a statement saying the singer didn’t endorse that use of her song and saying “in no way is this use authorized.”
The judge’s ruling in the 'Hold On, I'm Coming' case is preliminary, and the litigation remains ongoing.
