Musician Neil Young has filed a $10 million lawsuit against the campaign committee backing President Donald Trump, accusing it of copyright infringement over the use of his song "Rockin' in the Free World" at political rallies.
The complaint, filed Monday in U.S. District Court in Richmond, Virginia, names the Trump 47 Committee. It says the song was played just before the president spoke at an Oct. 12 rally in Youngstown, Ohio. According to the suit, the committee has also caused the track to be played "numerous times at other rallies designed to encourage Republican votes in the upcoming mid-term elections," and did so without the musician's permission.
Young's filing argues that Trump "was personally aware that a license would be required to play the Song at rallies." It adds that Young "has not, and would not, grant the required license."
This is not the first time Young has taken legal action over the song. In 2020, the 80-year-old musician sued a different Trump-formed corporation, Donald J. Trump for President Inc., in Manhattan federal court. That case concerned "Rockin' in the Free World" and another Young composition, "Devil's Sidewalk," both allegedly played at campaign rallies without authorization. According to the new suit, the corporation "asserted no defense and immediately settled shortly after it was served," and promised never to use "Rockin' in the Free World" again without a license and Young's permission.
Young was born in Canada and is a naturalized U.S. citizen. He has been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame twice, in 1995 as a solo artist and in 1997 as a member of Buffalo Springfield. He was also part of the folk rock supergroup Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. He released "Rockin' in the Free World" in 1989.
The lawsuit characterizes the song as a "blistering anthem that contrasts the hollow promises of American political rhetoric with the harsh realities faced by the poor, homeless and forgotten." It points to lyrics describing a mother discarding her baby, addiction, and "garbage piling in the shadows of prosperity," while the repeated chorus "delivers savage irony, celebrating freedom that clearly isn't shared by all." The filing concludes: "In short, the Song is the opposite of everything that Donald J. Trump stands for."
Besides the Trump 47 Committee, the suit lists five additional defendants identified only as "Doe," whom Young believes are also liable for infringing his copyright.
CNBC has asked the Trump 47 Committee and Young's lawyers for comment. The White House referred questions to the Republican National Committee, which did not immediately respond to an emailed request.
The Oct. 12 rally was also the site of an incident that has drawn the attention of local law enforcement. Videos show several attendees apparently attacking and beating a woman, Blake Miley, who had repeatedly yelled "fascist" at Trump while wearing a shirt reading "Release the Epstein Files." Mahoning County, Ohio, Sheriff Jerry Greene is reportedly investigating three individuals in connection with the incident.
