Isaac Hayes III has spoken out after a court decision granted an Injunction against Donald Trump’s unauthorized use of “Hold On, I’m Coming.”
In a recent social media post, Isaac Hayes III shared the news that his family had been granted an injunction against former President Donald Trump, preventing him from using the iconic song at his campaign rallies. During a press conference following the hearing, Hayes III provided further insight into the legal proceedings of the lawsuit. Hayes III, who has been at the forefront of this legal battle, expressed satisfaction with the court’s decision, while also assuring fans the family estate continues to explore legal options.
“We are pleased with the decision by the court and move to the next phase of this lawsuit,” he said. He emphasized Trump had been explicitly instructed to cease and desist from using the song after BMI terminated the license.
“There’s no any opportunity to return to use the song,” he stated. “And that was told to him over a hundred days ago and he continued to use the song. So there’s no coming back from using the song.”
When asked about claims that the lawsuit was politically motivated, Hayes strongly refuted the suggestion: “That’s totally not politically motivated.”
In doing so, he highlighted his his legal counsel’s extensive experience in handling similar cases, noting that he has been involved in helping over 250 artists escape bad contracts and situations like this one.
Hayes III went on to commend the legal team for their relentless efforts in securing the injunction while remarking on his desire for Isaac Hayes’ legacy as a songwriter to be properly acknowledged in response to a question about the judge’s decision not to allow a particular piece of video evidence in the case.
“I wanted him to know that Isaac Hayes was a songwriter and had written amazing records like, ‘Hold On, I’m Coming’ and ‘Soul Man,’ for artists like Sammy David, he established himself as a writer,” he said. “So for people think that nobody knows that Isaac Hayes wrote, ‘Hold On, I’m Coming,’ that’s just simply not true. He was inducted into the songwriters Hall of Fame along with David Porter in 2005. So there are very many people that know, and more importantly the people that we do business with that could affect Donald Trump using our music, know who Isaac Hayes is and who the writer of that song is.”
Earlier this year, the family of late R&B icon Isaac Hayes demanded Donald Trump stop using “Hold On, I’m Coming” at campaign rallies and threatened him with a $3 million lawsuit. The family claims the song was used 134 between 2022 and 2024 and confirmed they would demand damages of “$150,000 per use..” if forced to continue with litigation. The family claims the Trump campaign “willfully and brazenly engaged in copyright infringement,” using the song“despite being asked repeatedly not to engage in such illegal use.”
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The case isn’t an isolated incident for Trump, as he has faced similar lawsuits from various artists whose music was used without authorization during his campaigns. Musicians like Neil Young, Tom Petty, and The Rolling Stones have all taken legal action against Trump for using their songs at his rallies, further highlighting the ongoing issue of unauthorized music usage in political campaigns.
