Georgia, United States
A federal judge on Tuesday (Sep 3) ordered former US president and current Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump to cease using music created by the late Isaac Hayes at his campaign events.
The judge ordered the Trump campaign to stop using Hayes' song "Hold On, I'm Coming". However, they have not been ordered to take down existing videos featuring the music.
The ruling came after objections from Isaac Hayes III, son of the renowned musician, who strongly opposed Trump's use of his father's work.
Speaking outside the Richard B. Russell Federal Courthouse, Isaac Hayes III asserted, "We have to take a stand that we want to separate ourselves from someone with Donald Trump's character."
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The late musician's son emphasised that the decision was motivated by concerns over Trump's character and not political differences.
"This is not a political issue, this is a character issue," he said.
"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 added.
Legal discussions and uncertainties
New York attorney Ronald Coleman, who represented Trump and his campaign in the case, implied uncertainty over the Hayes family's ownership of the music rights.
"Before we left court, we spoke to the Hayes attorneys and to Mr. Hayes III about trying to work something out. We want this to be as a cooperative process as possible going forward," Coleman said.
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Music industry pushback
The ruling adds to a growing list of artists who have protested the use of their music at the Republican presidential candidate's rallies and events.
Over the years, several prominent musicians and their representatives have voiced objections, including the late Tom Petty, Foo Fighters, British singer Adele, the rock band R.E.M, Celine Dion and most recently the Swedish pop group ABBA.
The legendary group ABBA last month announced that it has "recently discovered the unauthorised use of their music and videos at a Trump event through videos that appeared online," and has asked for prompt "removal and deletion of such content."
American rock band Foo Fighters has also protested against Trump's use of their song, "My Hero" at a recent Arizona campaign on August 23. Clapping back, the rock band announced that royalty earnings from the song will be donated to Kamala Harris' campaign.
(With inputs from agencies)