Neil Young sues Trump committee over rally song

Neil Young has sued the Trump 47 Committee, seeking $10 million and an injunction over the alleged unlicensed use of his song “Rockin’ in the Free World” at a rally in Youngstown, Ohio. The complaint alleges the song was played before Donald Trump took the stage at an October 12 event, despite an agreement reached in 2020 that Young says barred its use without a licence. The complaint, filed in federal court in Virginia, names the committee, a political fundraising organization, rather than Trump as an individual defendant. Young alleges that the committee lacked permission to play the 1989 song and that the rally use breached the earlier settlement. Those claims have not been tested in court. Young’s filing says the committee has also played the song at other rallies intended to encourage votes for Republican candidates in the midterm elections. It seeks $10 million in damages and an order preventing the committee from using Young’s music. The requested damages are not a court award. Reports describe the proposed injunction in varying terms, including a ban on use of the song or Young’s music at political events. The dispute follows an earlier legal case concerning Young’s...