Don Henley Complaint Against Politician

Don Henley v. Devore, No. 09 Cv. 0481-JVS (C.D. Cal. complaint filed 4/17/2009)


"This action arises out of the wholesale appropriation and exploitation by Defendants DeVore and Hart of the well-known and valuable song "The Boys of Summer," written by Plaintiffs Don Henley and Mike CampbelL. Defendants' infringing conduct is unauthorized, brazenly wilful, and pursued solely in order to promote DeVore and Hart's personal and professional agenda. Openly flouting Henley and Campbell's intellectual property rights, DeVore and Hart copied almost
all of Henley and Campbell's copyrighted musical composition note for note and, altering the lyrics to suit their own purpose and using a recorded performance of the work to mimic the original Henley recording, produced and distributed a video featuring Henley and Campbell's song (the "Boys of Summer Video"). DeVore and Hart's avowed aim in doingthis was to use the Boys of Summer Video to promote DeVore's campaign for th~ Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate in 2010.

Fair Use & Political Speech

Browne v. McCain, No. 08-05334 (C.D.Cal. Nov. 2008)

Main issues:
-Copyright Fair use
-Lanham Act's application to political speech

see docs. 20 & 24

McCain Sued For Use of Song

Singer/songwriter Jackson Browne is suing Republican presidential nominee John McCain and the Republican party for using his song "Running on Empty" in a recent TV commercial (Billboard.)

Jackson Browne v. John McCain et al, No. 2:08-cv-05334-RKG (C.D. Cal. complaint filed Aug. 14, 2008).