After an emergency injunction in Atlanta federal court on Tuesday, September 3, the court ordered Donald Trump to stop using late singer Isaac Hayes's song at his campaign rallies.
The songwriting legend's son, Isaac Hayes III, shared his stance on the favorable conclusion from the judge at a press conference after the hearing. Hayes said that he "couldn't have asked for a better decision." When he was questioned by a reporter if his lawsuit against Trump for using his father's music was politically motivated, Hayes's response was non-affirmative. He said:
"Totally not. Totally not politically motivated."
For the uninitiated, Isaac Hayes's son shared a video on X on August 25. He mentioned that he had "repeatedly" asked Trump's camp to stop using the songwriter's Hold On, I'm Coming at his political rallies and events. The following day, he decided to bring the issue to court, filing a copyright infringement suit against the former POTUS. The suit included a licensing fee worth $3 million.
Hayes III previously tweeted on August 23 that they were granted an emergency hearing. At the Tuesday hearing, Federal Judge Thomas Thrash Jr. made his ruling in favor of Hayes's estate.
Isaac Hayes's court victory doesn't include taking down Trump's videos soundtracked to Hold On, I'm Coming
The court had ordered Donald Trump to stop using Isaac Hayes's song, Hold On, I'm Coming in any more campaign rallies and events. However, the ruling didn't include all of the Hayes estate's requests.
Hayes III and his camp had asked that all videos soundtracked to the musical legend's song that Team Trump had uploaded be taken down. However, the emergency hearing and subsequent ruling didn't touch the specific issue.
James L. Walker, the attorney representing the Hayes family, stated that after the emergency hearing, the lawsuit will now go into evidentiary process. After that, it will be pushed into a trial, and that's when the court will address the video takedown request.
During the press conference following the hearing, Isaac Hayes III reiterated that they are the copyright holders of his father's song and are trying to protect his legacy. He further said:
"A lot of artists are not often in this position to stand up for the copyright and to publishing companies [who] typically own the rights to music. But I always want to make sure that we are able to protect my father's legacy."
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He explained that his father lost the copyright to his music before he was born. But, he added that they will continue to gather more of the songwriter's copyrights, and the last thing they want after 56 years is to sell any of it. According to copyright law, the rights to a song will return to the author or the author's heirs 56 years after it was published.
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