NEW YORK (CelebrityAccess) – The family of late R&B legend Isaac Hayes announced on Sunday (August 11) that they are suing presidential candidate Donald Trump for the unauthorized use of the song “Hold On, I’m Coming” at his campaign events.
According to documents shared on Hayes’ social media accounts, the family is demanding that Trump immediately stop playing the song and pay $3 million for its unauthorized use between 2022 and 2024. The lawsuit alleges that the copyright has been infringed 134 times. “Hold On, I’m Coming” was written by Hayes for the R&B duo Sam & Dave, and his estate owns the rights to the song.
In the letter, the Hayes family requests that all videos featuring Trump using the song be removed and that Trump’s campaign release an official statement acknowledging that the Hayes estate has not “authorized, endorsed, or permitted” the use of the song.
The family further stated that if these demands are unmet, they would “take all legal action required to enforce the infringed upon intellectual property rights, including but not limited to sending third-party takedown requests and federal litigation.”
Isaac Hayes III, the son of the late musician, also shared a statement on social media condemning Trump’s use of his father’s music: “Donald Trump epitomizes a lack of integrity and class, not only through his continuous use of my father’s music without permission but also through his history of sexual abuse against women and his racist rhetoric,” “This behavior will no longer be tolerated, and we will take swift action to put an end to it.”
Trump’s camp has yet to release a statement.
