KHIKS Partner Larry Iser, who has set the industry standard for successful lawsuits on behalf of songwriters against political candidates using copyrighted songs without permission, has been making the rounds during the busy presidential primary season, talking about the laws governing the use of copyrighted materials by political candidates.
Newt Gingrich was sued over the use of Survivor’s Eye of the Tiger, while Mitt Romney, who asked Kid Rock for permission to use the song Born Free, nevertheless found himself in troubled waters after he failed to seek permission to create a commercial using extensive footage from the NBC Evening News with Tom Brokaw, and for using K’naan’s Wavin’ Flag at campaign rallies. Larry recently discussed copyrights and politics on NPR’s Morning Edition, in a Bloomberg Law podcast, and in an interview in The New York Times.
