A federal judge on Tuesday ordered former President Trump's campaign to stop using the song “Hold On, I'm Coming” at its events while the family of Isaac Hayes fights a copyright lawsuit.
U.S. District Judge Thomas Thrash Jr. issued a preliminary injunction banning Trump and his campaign from playing the song at their rallies.
But the judge denied a request from the Hayes Foundation to order the campaign to remove videos containing the song, according to the Associated Press.
Hayes, who died in 2008 at age 65, co-wrote the legendary song, which was performed by a duo called Sam & Dave and is frequently played at Trump rallies.
Last month, Hayes' estate filed a copyright lawsuit against Trump and several of his aides, seeking damages for using his music without proper permission.
Both sides indicated they were pleased with the outcome of the emergency injunction hearing.
Trump's lawyer, Ronald Coleman, said in an emailed statement that Trump and his team have already agreed to stop playing the song at rallies and are pleased that he no longer has to remove the campaign video.
“The only injunction issued was with respect to future uses that had already voluntarily ceased,” Coleman said in a statement. “Plaintiffs also asked the Court to order the removal of all campaign videos in which the song can be heard, but that order was denied given Plaintiffs' failure to demonstrate irreparable harm from those videos and the significant political free speech concerns implied by a removal order.”
“We are very happy with the result,” he added.
James L. Walker, an attorney for the Hays Foundation, called the ruling “a landmark step in our ongoing fight to protect the legacies and rights of artists.”
“This lawsuit is not about politics; it is about ensuring that the work of creative giants like Isaac Hayes is respected and used appropriately, and celebrating the decades of hard work and artistry that went into building their brands,” he added.
Isaac Hayes III celebrated the award in press and on social media.
“Today our family received an injunction ordering @realdonaldtrump not to play @IsaacHayes3's music again. We [pleased] We accept the court's decision and will proceed to the next stage of this litigation.” He wrote.
And many more Artist Requests President Trump has stopped using music by artists like ABBA, Beyonce, Celine Dion and Foo Fighters at his rallies.
