The White Stripes Drop Copyright Infringement Lawsuit Against Trump

Jack and Meg White had sued the President-elect for his campaign's use of "Seven Nation Army"

Photo: Fabio Venni

BY Karlie RogersPublished Nov 11, 2024

Jack White and Meg White have dropped their copyright lawsuit against Donald Trump for using "Seven Nation Army" in a social media post shared by campaign staff.  

According to Billboard, the duo's attorneys quietly dropped the lawsuit on Sunday (November 10). However, the White Stripes could theoretically refile their case in the future as the motion was filed "without prejudice."

The lawsuit was originally filed in September. Posting a screen recording of Trump walking to the iconic bass riff of "Seven Nation Army," Jack White shared in an Instagram caption, "Oh...Don't even think about using my music you fascists. Law suit coming from my lawyers about this (to add to your 5 thousand others) [sic]." White filed a copyright infringement lawsuit in Manhattan federal court two weeks later.

Attorneys for the White Stripes shared in a statement, "The new association with defendant Trump that defendants have foisted upon plaintiffs through the infringing Trump videos is even more offensive to plaintiffs because plaintiffs vehemently oppose the policies adopted and actions taken by defendant Trump when he was President and those he has proposed for the second term he seeks." 

Trump's presidential win did not dismiss the lawsuit, and the case could have continued against his campaign and the staffer who posted the clip. However, copyright litigation is costly and can take years to resolve. It is reported that Jack and Meg could have pursued damages over the clip, but the goal of the litigation was likely to send a message to bar further usage.

After Trump's win last week, Jack shared on Instagram, "Trump won the popular vote. End of story. Americans chose a known, obvious fascist and now America will get whatever this wannabe dictator wants to enact from here on in."

Trump and his campaign are still facing pending lawsuits from Beyoncé, the estate of Isaac Hayes, Céline Dion and the Foo Fighters who have taken action against his use of their music in his campaign. Olivia Rodrigo also removed her track "deja vu" from TikTok after Trump HQ used it in a recent video on the platform. 

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