White Stripes sue Donald Trump over the use of ‘Seven Nation Army’ riff in social media post
FILE - Musicians Jack White, right, and Meg White of the band The White Stripes perform an impromptu concert in Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada, June 25, 2007. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Vince Fedoroff, File)
NEW YORK (AP) — The White Stripes sued former President Donald Trump on Monday in a case that alleges he used their hit song “Seven Nation Army” without permission in a video posted to social media.
The band has accused Trump and his presidential campaign of copyright infringement for playing the song’s iconic opening riff over a video of Trump boarding a plane for campaign stops in Michigan and Wisconsin last month.
The Trump campaign did not immediately return an emailed request for comment.
The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Manhattan, said the band was also objecting to Trump’s use of the song because members Jack White and Meg White “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.”
Several prominent musicians have previously criticized Trump for using their songs at rallies. Last week, a federal judge in Atlanta ruled that Trump and his campaign must stop using the song “Hold On, I’m Coming” after a lawsuit from the estate of Isaac Hayes Jr.