The White Stripes have filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against Donald Trump's staff and the former president's campaign, after threatening legal action after they posted a video featuring the band's music.
In a lawsuit filed Monday in the Southern District of New York, the band accused the Trump campaign of “flagrant misappropriation” of their 2003 hit “Seven Nation Army.”
Last month, Margo Martin, Trump's deputy communications director, posted a video clip of the former president playing “Seven Nation Army” as he boarded a plane en route to two rallies.
“Yeah… don't even think about using my music you fascists,” Jack White, one half of the rock duo, wrote on Instagram at the time.
“I have a lawsuit pending from my lawyer over this (in addition to 5,000 others),” the musician said, after the video was apparently removed following the legal threats.
Monday, WhitePost section He posted the lawsuit on Instagram with the message, “This machine sues fascists.”
In their lawsuit against the Trump campaign and Martin, The White Stripes denounced the former president and said they “strongly oppose the policies and actions adopted by the Trump campaign.” [Trump] These are bills that he proposed when he was president and bills that he is proposing for his second term.”
The performers argued that Trump and his team “knew or should have known that the 'highly distinctive and instantly recognizable introductory riff' from 'Seven Nation Army' was used without permission” because the White Stripes “publicly denounced the unauthorized use of the song on various social media platforms in 2016.” [the song] In a campaign video endorsing Trump for his first presidential run, they made it clear they were “fed up with the relationship.”
The lawsuit claims that because the Trump campaign and Martin failed to respond, the band “had no choice but to seek judicial recourse to hold the Defendants accountable.”
Spokespeople for Martin and the Trump campaign did not respond to ITK's requests for comment on the lawsuit.
The White Stripes are seeking unspecified damages and a jury trial.
In recent weeks, several music stars, including Foo Fighters, Celine Dion and ABBA, have sought to distance themselves from Trump's presidential bid after their songs were played at rallies and campaign events.
