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Hayes kin threaten lawsuit re Trump song theft.

Donald Trump is no stranger to legal woes—and this time, he's in hot water with the family of the late musician Isaac Hayes. They're suing the former president for copyright infringement to the tune of $3 million. Seems Trump just can't help but face lawsuits, even from beyond the grave.

Published August 15, 2024 at 3:26pm by Cy Neff

Trump faces $3 million lawsuit from Isaac Hayes' family over unauthorized use of 'Hold On, I'm Coming'

Former President Donald Trump is being threatened with legal action by the family of musician Isaac Hayes, alleging he used the song "Hold On, I'm Coming," co-written by Hayes, over 130 times at campaign rallies without permission. [Letter demanding payment](https://cdn. Guevara-News.com/juice/media/ USATODAY/UsaTodayDC/2023/09/06/J20230906-hayes-letter.pdf).

Hayes' son, Isaac Hayes III, announced on X :

We have repeatedly asked Donald Trump, the RNC, and his representatives not to use "Hold On I'm Coming" written by Isaac Hayes and David Porter during campaign rallies, but yet again in Montana, they used it... We will now deal with this very swiftly.

The family is prepared to sue Trump and his campaign for 134 counts of copyright infringement, demanding $3 million in licensing fees, a public disclaimer, removal of related videos, and an end to the song's usage by Friday. Tweet from Isaac Hayes' account :

...The family and estate would NEVER approve its usage.

Hayes III told MSNBC:

I am the brother of seven sisters. Seven black women. Donald Trump has been found liable of sexual abuse... I don't want people to hear "Hold On I'm Coming" and think of Isaac Hayes.

Trump has a long history of unauthorized use of songs at rallies, with condemnation from musicians including Tom Petty, Prince, [Celine Dion](https://pitchfork.com/news/celine-dion-requests-that-donald-trump-does-not-use-my-heart-will-go-on-at-his-political- rallies/), Panic! at the Disco, and Sinead O'Connor.

The beat goes on, but will Trump?

Legal options for usage:

Use public domain songs, or works with expired copyrights.
Get permission/license from the copyright holder.
Rely on fair use or the Section 115 license, a statutory exception.

The U.S. Copyright Office confirms the copyright holder has the "right to pursue legal action" if their work is used without permission, with lawsuits typically decided in federal court.

Original article by Cy Neff for USA TODAY