Trump Campaign Settles Post Judgment With Eddy Grant Over ‘Electric Avenue’ Case
There isn’t a ton of new information here to get into, but we might as well close the loop on this episode. Way back during the 2020 Presidential campaign, then-President Donald Trump’s reelection campaign put out an admittedly humorous animated video showing a massive Trump train barreling down the tracks, only to have Joe Biden trailing behind it on a handcar. The problem with the video is that Eddy Grant’s Electric Avenue played throughout the video and the campaign had sought neither permission nor a license to use it. Grant sued and, despite the campaigns pathetic attempt to assert fair use protections, the whole thing was so cut and dry that the court ruled in favor of Grant on summary judgment.
Missing from the judgment was the assignment of any damages. That was to be discussed and determined at a later date, but that will no longer happen as the court announced that the case has now been settled between the parties.
Two months after a federal judge ruled that Trump infringed the copyright to the 1982 hit by featuring it in the video, the same judge issued an order Wednesday saying the two sides had “settled this action” and that the case would be “discontinued.”
The settlement avoids the need for further litigation figure out how much Trump would need to pay Grant in damages, which had been left undecided by the September ruling. Terms of the settlement were not disclosed in court filings, and neither side immediately responded to request for comment.
And with that, this case has come to its final end. Once again, the fact that these settlement terms are always hidden behind closed doors is extremely annoying — particularly in this case. The fact that Donald Trump is infamous for not paying his bills is one, making it all the more interesting just how much money his campaign has agreed to send Grant’s way as part of this settlement. Especially considering how many other legal judgments, civil and state criminal judgments both, are currently hanging over his head like the sword of Damocles.
But at this point I’m Abe Simpson shaking my fist at the clouds. It’s enough that this blatant instance of copyright infringement resulted in a judgment against Trump. I’d wonder aloud if he’s learned his lesson, but it really shouldn’t matter. It’s not like Trump can run for President again.
…Right?