(ConservativeSense.com) – The 1970s pop group, the Village People, have sent a cease and desist letter to Donald Trump over his use of their 1978 hit Macho Man. Victor Willis, the group’s lead singer, specifically objected to a song performance at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago mansion in Florida by a group resembling the Village People.
Willis said he has since been inundated with messages from people who believe his band performed the song. He said Mr. Trump violates the Lanham Act, which regulates copyright and bars the use of imitations likely to cause confusion.
“The performance has, and continues to cause, public confusion as to why Village People would engage in such a performance. We did not,” the letter reads.
The Village People are the latest in a long list of artists to object to their music forming part of Trump rallies.
Back in 2015, immediately after Donald Trump declared he was running for the White House, Neil Young became one of the first to prohibit the use of his music. The left-wing artist refused to allow the Presidential candidate to use his hit “Keep On Rocking in the Free World.” He has permitted Bernie Sanders free use of his work, however.
British artist Phil Collins similarly objected when Trump played his hit “In The Air Tonight” in Iowa. In addition, the rock band The Rolling Stones threatened legal action if President Trump used their music.
The family of the late American rock star Tom Petty issued a cease and desist letter after Trump played his hit “I Won’t Back Down” at a rally in Oklahoma. In a Twitter post, the family said they supported democracy and people’s right to vote as they like, but they did not support Trump’s “hate.” The post added that Trump does not represent the working people for whom the song was intended. “We would hate for fans that are marginalized by this administration to think we were complicit in this usage,” the statement read.
Copyright 2023, ConservativeSense.com
