Senator John McCain’s presidential campaign ended almost 4 months ago, but the fallout isn’t going away any time soon. The U.S. District Court for the Central District of California has rejected motions made by McCain and the Republican National Committee to dismiss Jackson Browne’s lawsuit against them for using his song “Running on Empty” in a campaign commercial without authorization.
PRNewswire reports that the lawsuit, which was filed for copyright infringement, false endorsement and violation of Browne’s right of publicity, will be played out in court in front of a jury (unless McCain and the RNC offer a settlement and it is accepted).
Browne’s lawyer, Lawrence Iser, spoke out on Friday’s rulings: “The Court’s decision is a solid victory for songwriters and performers and reflects an affirmation of their intellectual property rights and their freedom from being conscripted as involuntary endorsers of political candidates and campaign messages. We are happy that the Court recognized that persons and parties running for office are not entitled to violate an individual’s intellectual property and publicity rights simply because they are engaged in political campaigns.”