Former President Donald Trump has been ordered to pay damages to singer Eddy Grant over his use of Grant’s 1983 hit “Electric Avenue” during the 2020 election.
Grant’s lawyers initially sent the Trump campaign a cease-and-desist letter over the use of a short clip of the song in an animated video that was created by a third party and shared on Trump’s personal social media account.
Grant later sued, arguing the clip suggested an endorsement of Trump and also “sought to denigrate the Democratic Party’s 2020 presidential nominee, now-President Joseph R. Biden.”
After four years, a judge in New York has granted the singer a partial summary judgement, meaning Trump is liable for copyright infringement and will now have to pay Grant for damages, as well as his legal fees.
The legal judgement comes just weeks after a judge issued a preliminary injunction barring the former president from playing Isaac Hayes’ music ever again. Hayes’ estate sued over Trump’s use of the Hayes-penned track “Hold On (I’m Coming)” at his rallies.
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