Neil Young has reportedly dropped his lawsuit against Donald Trump‘s presidential campaign over the unauthorised use of his music.
The news was reported by The New York Times‘ Ben Sisario, who screenshotted a legal document which appears to be a notice of dismissal.
In the screenshot, Young voluntarily dismissed all claims against “Donal [sic] J. Trump for President, Inc. with prejudice, with each party to bear its own costs, fees, and expenses.”
Neil Young withdraws lawsuit against Trump campaign for using his songs at rallies w/o permission. pic.twitter.com/TtDGaQVJ4i
— Ben Sisario (@sisario) December 7, 2020
According to The Hollywood Reporter, a dismissal with prejudice means that claims cannot be renewed. At the time of writing, both parties’ lawyers have not released an official statement regarding the status of the lawsuit.
The saga between the two parties began earlier this year, when Young voiced his disapproval on social media over Trump’s use of his music at presidential rallies. The singer then shared a damning open letter to Trump in early July but did not have plans to sue at the time.
Young then reconsidered his stance later that month and proceeded to sue Trump’s campaign in early August.
“The Campaign has wilfully ignored Plaintiff’s telling it not to play the songs and wilfully proceeded to play the songs despite a lack of license,” the lawsuit stated on Young’s website.
“The Campaign does not now have, and did not at the time of the Tulsa rally, have a license or Plaintiff’s permission to play the two Songs at any public political event.”
The lawsuit also noted that Young sought “statutory damages in the maximum amount allowed for willful copyright infringement.”
Recently, Young shared a previously unreleased version of ‘Powderfinger’ from his 1979 album ‘Rust Never Sleeps’.
Although the song was released in the late ’70s, the version Young shared was recorded on June 12, 1975 in Point Dume, California.