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2 days ago
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Eddy Grant and Donald Trump have reached a settlement in the singer’s copyright infringement lawsuit over the Trump campaign’s use of “Electric Avenue” in an online video promoting his 2020 reelection campaign.
U.S. District Judge John Koetl filed notice that the parties had reached a settlement, but a sum was not disclosed. The judge also wrote that the case was discontinued with prejudice but without costs.
In September, the judge found Trump liable for copyright infringement, leaving unresolved the issue of whether a jury should be convened to decide an amount. Grant has asked for $300,000 and lawyers’ fees in the four-year-old case.
Grant sued Trump in 2020 over an animated video that mocked then-President Trump’s opponent, Joe Biden, with “Electric Avenue” playing in the background.
The clip was posted on Twitter without asking Grant or paying a song license. But Trump’s legal team claimed that the use of the song was fair use, in that it was political commentary.
The judge, though, had described the video as “a wholesale copying of music to accompany a political campaign ad.”
There has been a long line of artists who have objected to Trump’s use of their music at campaign rallies and elsewhere, including the Foo Fighters, ABBA, Celine Dion, Jack White, Johnny Marr of The Smiths and the estate of Sinead O’Connor.
In September, a judge ruled that Trump’s campaign had to stop playing Hold On, I’m Coming as singer-songwriter Isaac Hayes‘ family pursued legal action.
