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Intellectual Property Law

Talking Heads Singer Sues Fla. Gov, Seeks $1M for Song Use in Attack Ad

A former lead singer for Talking Heads has sued Florida Gov. Charlie Crist, contending that he used the group’s 1985 “Road to Nowhere” song in an online attack ad against Marco Rubio without permission, reports the County Grind blog of the Broward-Palm Beach New Times.

He is represented by attorney Lawrence Iser, who sued and settled with Republican presidential candidate John McCain on behalf of Jackson Browne in 2008 for making unauthorized use of his signature song, “Running on Empty.”

Rubio is the likely GOP nominee for an open U.S. Senate seat to which Crist is seeking election as an independent.

The suit seeks $1 million in damages, reports the Associated Press.

“Besides being theft, use of the song and my voice in a campaign ad implies that I, as writer and singer of the song, might have granted Crist permission to use it, and that I therefore endorse him and/or the Republican Party, of which he was a member until very, very recently,” says frontman David Byrne in a lengthy Journal blog post about his lawsuit.

The articles don’t include any comment from Crist.