ECNETNews, New York, NY, Sept. 13, 2024: In a significant legal victory, Guyanese-British singer Eddy Grant has successfully won a copyright infringement lawsuit against former U.S. President Donald Trump. A federal judge ruled that Trump’s 2020 campaign unlawfully featured Grant’s iconic song “Electric Avenue” in a promotional video without securing permission.
This legal battle originated in 2020 when Trump’s campaign utilized the 1982 hit in a video shared on social media that targeted then-presidential candidate Joe Biden. Grant expressed his disappointment over the unauthorized usage, prompting him to take legal action.
During the trial, Trump’s legal representatives contended that their use of the song fell under the fair use doctrine, which permits limited copyrighted material reuse. However, Judge John G. Koeltl dismissed this defense, emphasizing that the campaign video did not alter the song’s lyrics, vocals, or instrumentation and lacked justification for its significant usage.
In his ruling, Judge Koeltl stated, “The video has a very low degree of transformativeness, if any at all,” and characterized it as “wholesale copying of music to accompany a political campaign ad.”
Following the decision, Grant’s attorney expressed that his client was “gratified” with the outcome, highlighting the pivotal need to protect artists’ rights. “Politicians are not above the law, and the court reaffirmed that,” the attorney noted.
While the court confirmed Trump and his campaign’s liability for copyright infringement, the specifics regarding the damages Grant will receive remain to be determined in subsequent proceedings.
Trump has previously faced similar grievances from various artists throughout his political campaigns. High-profile music icons such as Beyoncé, Celine Dion, and ABBA, along with the estates of notable artists like Sinead O’Connor and Isaac Hayes, have raised objections against their music’s unauthorized use.
