The estate of the late R&B star Isaac Hayes have threatened to sue Donald Trump for millions of dollars over the unauthorised use of the song, ‘Hold On, I’m Coming’.
The track has been a fixture at rallies held by Trump since 2022, much to the disapproval of the Hayes family. While Hayes isn’t the performer of ‘Hold On, I’m Coming’, which was initially recorded by Sam & Dave for Stax Records in 1966, he did write the composition, and therefore, his estate have ownership of the song.
In new documents shared on social media, the Hayes family claim that Trump has infringed the copyright restrictions of ‘Hold On, I’m Coming’ on 134 occasions since 2022. In addition to requesting that Trump immediately stops playing the track at public events, they are also demanding $3 million in compensation.
If Trump refuses to follow the orders set by the Hayes family, they plan to “take all legal action required to enforce the infringed upon intellectual property rights, including but not limited to sending third party take down requests and/or federal litigation.”
Furthermore, Hayes’ son, Isaac Hayes III, shared on social media: “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.”
He concluded by stating Trump’s “behavior will no longer be tolerated, and we will take swift action to put an end to it.”
The latest development between the Hayes family and Trump comes after they previously condemned the politician for using the track twice in 2022. Their first intervention came after he walked on stage to the song at a National Rifle Association rally convention which occurred shortly after the Uvalde school shooting when 19 people were killed.
Furthermore, in November, 2022, when Trump announced he would be standing in the 2024 presidential race, he used ‘Hold On, I’m Coming’. In response, the estate shared on social media, “Once again, The estate and family of Isaac Hayes DID NOT approve the use of “Hold on I’m coming’” by Sam and Dave by Donald Trump at his 2024 Presidential announcement tonight. We are exploring multiple legal options to stop this unauthorized use.”
It comes after Celine Dion recently criticised Trump for using ‘My Heart Will Go On’ at a rally, writing, “In no way is this use authorized and Celine Dion does not endorse this or any similar use. And really, that song?”
Additionally, French singer Woodkid also hit out at Trump on August 6th over the consistent unauthorised use of his song, ‘Run Boy Run’, at rallies.
“Once again, I never gave permission for the use of my music on that [Donald Trump] film,” Woodkid began by saying. The artist also pointed out the poignant message behind the track, noting, “Run Boy Run is a LGBT+ anthem written by me, a proud LGBT+ musician. How ironic.”
We the family of @isaachayes Isaac Hayes Enterprises, represented by Walker & Associates, are suing @realDonaldTrump and his campaign for 134 counts copyright infringement for the unauthorized use of the song “Hold On I’m Coming” at campaign rallies from 2022-2024.
We demand… pic.twitter.com/GOBLz7ejYL— Isaac Hayes III (@IsaacHayes3) August 11, 2024