The White Stripes Sue Trump For Using 'Seven Nation Army'
The White Stripes are suing former President Donald Trump for “significant monetary damages” for using their 2003 hit song, “Seven Nation Army,” for campaigning purposes without permission.
In a 13-page complaint filed on Monday, the rock duo comprised of Jack and Meg White said that Trump used the Grammy award-winning song “to burnish Defendant Trump’s public image, and generate financial and other support for his campaign and candidacy on the backs of Plaintiffs [The White Stripes], whose permission and endorsement he neither sought nor obtained in violation of their rights under federal copyright law.”
The suit — which also named Trump’s campaign and Margo Martin, Trump’s deputy director of communications, as defendants — criticized Trump for his unauthorized use of the song given that he is a “self-professed sophisticated and successful businessman with decades-long experience in the entertainment industry.”
“Plaintiffs vehemently oppose the policies adopted and actions taken by defendant Trump when he was president and those he has proposed for the second term he seeks,” the lawsuit added.
The White Stripes are seeking a trial by jury.
“This machine sues fascists,” Jack White said in a post on Instagram on Monday announcing the lawsuit. (His caption was a nod to musician Woody Guthrie.)
“This office is handling the matter,” Trump lawyer Ronald Coleman told Rolling Stone in an email Monday. “We have not had an opportunity to review the claims.”
Trump’s campaign did not immediately respond to HuffPost’s request for comment.
Jack White threatened to sue Trump on Aug. 29 after Martin posted a video of Trump walking onto a plane with “Seven Nation Army” playing.
“Oh….Don’t even think about using my music you fascists,” Jack said in an Instagram post sharing Martin’s post of Trump. “Lawsuit coming from my lawyers about this (to add to your 5 thousand others.) Have a great day at work today Margo Martin.”
Numerous artists and their estates have threatened legal action against Trump or condemned him for using their music without permission, including Beyoncé, Céline Dion, The Rolling Stones, Sinéad O’Connor’s estate, and Isaac Hayes’ estate.