Caribbean Singer Wins Copyright Case Against Donald Trump

Guyana-born singer, songwriter, and producer Eddie Grant has won a copyright infringement lawsuit against former US President Donald Trump. A federal judge in Manhattan this week ruled that the former US President violated the singer’s copyright by using the hit song “Electric Avenue” without his permission in a 2020 campaign video. The video utilising the song is said to have been viewed 13.7 million times before it was taken down. Trump has been ordered to pay Grant’s legal fees and is liable for damages, reportedly of US$300,000. “The video is best described as a wholesale copying of music to accompany a political campaign ad,” the judge wrote in his order. Eddie Grant, who resided in the UK and Barbados, released the album “Killer on the Rampage” in 1982. “Electric Avenue” was one of the singles off the album. The song became number 2 on the US Billboard charts in 1983 and was kept from the number one spot by the Police with “Every Breath You Take”.  However, Electric Avenue was certified platinum in the US and Canada. Incidentally, another of Eddie Grant’s songs “Gimmie Hope Jo’anna” was recently used for a social media political parody. The performers, the Marsh Family...