Isaac Hayes III announced that his father’s estate had filed a federal lawsuit against Donald Trump for potentially hundreds of acts of copyright infringement.
Isaac Hayes III said on CNN on Saturday morning, “I don’t want that song associated with Donald Trump. I don’t want people to hear. Hold On I’m Coming and think of Donald Trump because of the nature and the character of the person that he is.
Hayes talked about Trump’s violation of the copyright, “So we had 134 uses in total. Um That also depends on licensing and stuff like that. But Trump had been told to not use a song sometime in 2022. And every time I hear about it, I’ll post on my father’s social media account. Let people know we’re not happy with it. So it started in May of 2022 and then as recently as last week, which is why had to ring James in because obviously the message wasn’t getting through.”
According to Hayes, this isn’t political, and relates to not wanting the song associated with Trump and the ex-president’s theft of the work of others.
Video of Hayes III:
Isaac Hayes III on why his family is suing Trump for copyright infringement for illegally using Hold On I’m Coming at rallies, “I don’t want people to hear. Hold On I’m Coming and think of Donald Trump because of the nature and character of the person that he is.” pic.twitter.com/hhNSeNdw6k
— Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) August 17, 2024
According to the Hayes family attorney, Trump and his campaign have ignored requests to stop using the song for years. What they are seeking is a statement from the Trump campaign stating that they were not authorized to use the song, the campaign stops using the song, and pays for any copyright violations.
If this case goes to court, and Trump is found liable each violation could cost his campaign $150,000.
The situation should have never escalated to this degree, and the fact that it did demonstrates the kind of person that Donald Trump is. The ex-president doesn’t care about the rights of others or listen to their concerns.
It would have been easy for the campaign to stop using the song, but they have done the opposite out of entitlement and disrespect. Here is hoping that the Hayes family gets the remedy that they are seeking.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
