Neil Young sues President Trump for using songs without permission at campaign rally News
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Neil Young sues President Trump for using songs without permission at campaign rally

Canadian-American musician Neil Young sued President Donald Trump Tuesday for copyright infringement, saying that Trump used two of his songs, Rockin’ in the Free World and Devil’s Sidewalk, without permission during a campaign rally.

The complaint alleges that President Trump’s re-election campaign “willfully ignored Plaintiff’s telling it not to play the Songs and willfully proceeded to play the Songs despite its lack of license and despite its knowledge that a license is required to do so” at a recent presidential rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Young additionally stated that he does not want his music to be used for “a divisive, un-American campaign of ignorance and hate.”

Young has been vocal in his disapproval of the Trump campaign’s use of his songs in the past. He admonished the campaign in 2015 when Trump used Rockin’ in the Free World to announce his presidential campaign.

Young seeks an injunction preventing the Trump campaign from playing any music owned by him and statutory damages of $150,000.