Newt Gingrich Sued for Playing ‘Eye of the Tiger’ at Rallies

2012-01-31

Story by Anne Erickson

Survivor asks that GOP candidate stop using ‘Eye of the Tiger’ at rallies

Over the past we political seasons, it’s become more and more common for candidates running for public office to get sued over using music in campaigns. Now, presidential candidate Newt Gingrich is getting handed a new lawsuit filed against his campaign’s use of Survivor’s “Eye of the Tiger,” the Grammy-winning song from “Rocky III.”

According to Billboard, the new lawsuit was filed in Illinois federal court on behalf of Rude Music Inc., owned by Frank Sullivan, a co-author of the song. The grievance says that Gingrich has used the track without permission at several conferences and campaign rallies. The plaintiff asserts this is a violation of the song’s copyright and requests an injunction to put a stop to Gingrich’s choice of entrance music.

Gingrich should feel too blue about the lawsuit, as he’s joining a long list of musicians who have been sued over music. Following the 2008 election, singer Jackson Brown filed a lawsuit against John McCain regarding the use of the track, “Running on Empty,” according to Billboard. During that same election period, singer Don Henley took legal action against California senatorial candidate Chuck DeVore regarding his use of the famous tracks, “Boys of Summer” and “All She Wants to Do is Dance.” Two years later, songwriter David Byne took legal action against Florida ex-governor Charlie Crist when he used the song, “Road to Nowhere.” For each of these instances, the politicians had to stop using the music in their campaigns and made public apologies. Do you think politicians should be able to use their favorite music while campaigning without fear of getting sued over it, or should they refrain unless the artist consents to it?

 




Anne Erickson
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Posted by Anne Erickson | Music, Rock, Rock News