Rock duo the White Stripes has dropped their lawsuit accusing President-elect Donald Trump of copyright infringement.
According to the National Pulse, the duo – frontman Jack White and his former wife Meg – asked a federal court on Sunday, Nov. 10, that the case be "dismissed without prejudice." The filing in the U.S. District Court’s Southern District of New York also noted that the band is dropping "all claims" against the defendants.
The lawsuit named Trump himself, his campaign – Donald J. Trump for President 2024, Inc., and Margo McAtee Martin, the campaign's deputy communications director. According to the Pulse, Jack appears to be the primary instigator behind the complaint.
The duo's complaint arose from Martin's posting of a video that included the song "Seven Nation Army," from the White Stripes' 2003 album titled "Elephant." The clip posted in September, which featured the then-Republican presidential nominee, prompted Jack to take legal action. He sued the Trump campaign for copyright infringement, accusing it of "flagrant misappropriation" of the song.
A report by Pitchfork in September outlined the lawsuit's contents. It alleged that the now-president-elect and his campaign "chose to ignore and not respond to plaintiffs' pre-litigation efforts to resolve the matters at issue in this action." Instead, the Trump campaign "indiscriminately trampled on plaintiffs' legal rights."
The complaint also stated that the duo "vehemently opposes the policies adopted and actions taken by … Trump when he was president [from 2017 to 2021] and those he has proposed for the second term he seeks."
According to Pitchfork, the lawsuit "makes good on Jack's promise to take legal action against Trump and his campaign." In a post on Instagram on the same day as the lawsuit's filing, the White Stripes frontman wrote: "This machine sues fascists."
Not the first time the White Stripes reacted to Trump using their song
This was not the first time the duo, which parted ways in 2011, spoke out against their song being used to promote Trump. During the 2016 election, Jack and Meg issued a statement slamming the "illegal use" of "Seven Nation Army" in a campaign video for the real estate mogul.
"Regarding the use of 'Seven Nation Army' in a Donald Trump campaign video, the White Stripes would like to unequivocally state that they have nothing whatsoever to do with this," read the statement issued by Third Man Records, the band's label that Jack also owns. "They are disgusted by this association, and the illegal use of their song."
The Pulse continued: "It remains unclear if the Trump campaign had a licensing agreement with the music's license holder. Such agreements are often a hurdle for music artists who become upset with certain political candidates using their music.
"Regardless of the license status, [Jack's] decision to sue Trump garnered him and [Meg] headlines for several days and the adulation of Democrats supporting [outgoing] Vice President Kamala Harris.
"Despite insisting the lawsuit was serious and aimed to bar Trump's use of the song and recoup any losses, White has now quietly moved to withdraw the legal action. Trump's landslide victory in the 2024 election and the relatively low chances of [Jack's] lawsuit being successful – despite its media accolades – were likely motivating factors in the decision." (Related: Biden-Harris DOJ now trying to find a way to DROP charges against Trump.)
Watch this clip of President-elect Donald Trump that features "Seven Nation Army."
This video is from the harrier808 channel on Brighteon.com.
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