Legendary musician Neil Young filed a $10 million lawsuit against President Donald Trump 's campaign committee for infringing Young's copyright by playing his song "Rockin' in the Free World" just before the president took the stage to speak at an Oct. 12 rally in Youngstown, Ohio.
The Trump 47 Committee has caused that song, without the musician's permission, "to be played numerous times at other rallies designed to encourage Republican votes in the upcoming mid-term elections," Young's lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Richmond, Virginia , alleges.
Trump "was personally aware that a license would be required to play the Song at rallies," and that Young "has not, and would not, grant the required license," the suit filed Monday says.
Young, 80, in 2020 sued another corporation formed by Trump, Donald J. Trump for President Inc., in Manhattan federal court for copyright infringement of "Rockin' in the Free World," and another song written by Young, "Devil's Sidewalk," for having played the songs without permission at campaign rallies.
In that first case, Trump's corporation "asserted no defense and immediately settled shortly after it was served, promising that it would never again use 'Rockin' in the Free World' without a license and permission from Young," the new suit said.
CNBC has requested comment from the Trump 47 Committee about the suit, and from Young's lawyers.
The White House, when asked for comment, referred CNBC to the Republican National Committee, which did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.
Young, who was born in Canada, is a naturalized U.S. citizen. He is a two-time inductee in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame : in 1995 as a solo artist, and in 1997 as a member of Buffalo Springfield. Young was also a member of the folk rock supergroup Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.
Young released "Rockin' in the Free World" in 1989.
His lawsuit describes the tune as a "blistering anthem that contrasts the hollow promises of American political rhetoric with the harsh realities faced by the poor, homeless and forgotten."
The lyrics include descriptions of 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 suit notes.
"In short, the Song is the opposite of everything that Donald J. Trump stands for," the suit says.
In addition to the Trump 47 Committee, the suit lists five other defendants, identified by the pseudonym "Doe," whom Young believes are liable for infringing on Young's copyright.
The Oct. 12 Trump rally that is referenced in the lawsuit was also the scene of an incident that has drawn attention from local law enforcement. Videos from the rally show several attendees apparently attacking and beating a woman, Blake Miley, who had repeatedly yelled 'fascist" at Trump while wearing a shirt bearing the message "Release the Epstein Files."
Mahoning County, Ohio, Sheriff Jerry Greene reportedly is investigating three individuals in connection with the incident.
