Tom Petty’s estate files for injunctive relief

taketonews

Tom Petty’s family have filed a cease and desist letter over Republican Kari Lake’s unsolicited campaign tie-in of “I Won’t Back Down.” Accordingly, any further use should lead to fines of up to $ 150,000.

After her defeat in the gubernatorial election, the politician used the song in a video in which she spoke, among other things, about an alleged election coup. Your video can no longer be found online.

The reactions from Petty’s supporters

The late artist’s family released a statement on Friday (November 18), which said: “The Tom Petty estate and our partners were shocked to learn that Tom’s song ‘I Won’t Back Down’ stolen and used without permission or license to promote Kari Lake’s failed campaign. This is illegal. We are investigating all our legal avenues to stop this illicit use and future embezzlement of Tom’s beloved anthem. Thank you to all the fans who brought this to our attention and who help us protect his legacy every day.”

In a further statement Said Tom Petty’s ex-wife Jane, “Tom Petty would never allow Kari Lake, a refuser to vote, to use his great anthem ‘I Won’t Back Down’ to disregard a legitimate election.”

“Broken voting machines”: The background of the events

Lake, a Republican backed by Donald Trump, lost the race for governor of Arizona in the US midterm elections earlier this month. In recent weeks, the politician has increasingly commented on the “broken electoral system” and shared reports that many of her votes were allegedly not counted. Trump has echoed those claims, confirming that “many voting machines were broken” in Arizona.

Back in 2020, the Tom Petty estate filed a similar cease and desist over Trump’s use of the work. Artists like Linkin Park and Phil Collins have also taken legal action to prevent their music from being used by Republicans.

Here is the record “Full Moon Fever” (1989) which also included “I Won’t Back Down”:



ttn-30