Music News

Batman 1, Donald Trump 0

Americans are already in a tizzy about the 2020 presidential election, including the incumbent who loves campaigning more than he does governing.

Check that: He hates governing. If Trump could do nothing but hold campaign rallies, he’d be happy.

Tuesday night, a two-minute campaign-style video was posted on Twitter and was seen by a million people in a matter of hours. Then it was gone.

It was a roughly-edited crazy incoherent thing featuring jump cut of one hundred dollar bills, Barack Obama, the Clintons and shots of Trump at his rallies. Shots were captioned with “First they ignore you. Then they laugh at you. Then they call you a racist. Donald J. Trump. Your vote. Proved them all wrong. Trump: The Great Victory. 2020.”

In the background was “Why Do We Fall?” from the Hans Zimmer-composed score of the Batman movie, The Dark Knight Rises. Therein lies the problem.

You can’t use music in this way without seeking permission from the entity that owns it. The video was almost immediately flagged as a flagrant copyright violation on two levels: the music and the Batman font for the title cards.

Warner Brothers, the holders of the copyright, filed a grievance. And now it’s gone.

Once again, the law-and-order president has been seen breaking the law. And as a bonus, Trump’s campaign manager claims that CNN is responsible for the removal of the video because of its connection to AT&T, which also owns Warner Brothers, the holders of The Dark Knight copyright.

Another related thought. Was this clip pandering to the far right? Discuss.

(Via Variety, The Daily Beast, and BuzzFeed)

Alan Cross

is an internationally known broadcaster, interviewer, writer, consultant, blogger and speaker. In his 40+ years in the music business, Alan has interviewed the biggest names in rock, from David Bowie and U2 to Pearl Jam and the Foo Fighters. He’s also known as a musicologist and documentarian through programs like The Ongoing History of New Music.

Alan Cross has 39159 posts and counting. See all posts by Alan Cross

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