One of the more frequent copyright infringement cases every four years is when a Republican candidate uses a well-known song without permission — on the campaign trail, in social media posts, ads, etc. Because most of what they campaign on is anti-artist and the worker, it tends to tick off the creator, or their estate, and trigger legal action. Why? Well, because the use, by law, should be paid for, plain and simple. AND, if the copyright holder does NOT want their work associated with something, they have a right to deny the license. This denial of use is the center of the Isaac Hayes Estate infringement claim. Here is a link to the court update. As usual, the candidate in question, or organization, being sued tries to deny the violation and weasel out of what they did. They always know. They make the active choice to do the thing they were told not to as a means to gain the advantage of the use, without permission, and then fight it later. Like a misinformation statement, people rarely read the retraction or the correction of the claim. The damage is done. We wish the Isaac Hayes Estate swift Justice.
PS Featured Gen AI image “Isaac Hayes wagging his finger at Trump” brought to you by … scarily realistic. Hello deepfakes flooding social media.
