Neil Young isn’t happy that President Donald Trump has been playing his tunes during campaign events.
The rocker filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against Trump’s reelection campaign for playing his songs at rallies without proper licensing, The Hill reports.
According to the lawsuit, which was posted on the musician’s website Tuesday, the Trump campaign didn’t have the required licensing to play “Rockin’ in the Free World” and “Devil’s Sidewalk” at the June 20 rally in Tulsa, Okla.
"This complaint is not intended to disrespect the rights and opinions of American citizens, who are free to support the candidate of their choosing,” the complaint states. “However, Plaintiff in good conscience cannot allow his music to be used as a 'theme song' for a divisive, un-American campaign of ignorance and hate."
Young’s attorney told The Hill that the lawsuit was filed on Tuesday in the U.S. Court for the Southern District of New York.
According to the lawsuit, Trump used Young’s music during his 2016 presidential race. He first played a Young tune after he announced plans to run for president during a 2015 rally at Trump Tower.
Young is seeking statutory damages between $750 and $150,000 for each copyright infringement, according to the complaint.
Young first floated the idea of suing Trump in June.
He said he thought about the lawsuit after Trump sent federal officers to Portland, Ore. Young specifically mentioned a viral video of officers pepper-spraying a Navy veteran and breaking his hand.
"Trump has no respect for our military," Young wrote on his website. "They are not to be used on the streets of America against law abiding citizens for a Political charade orchestrated by a challenged President."
"Our police should arrest these untrained thugs for breaking our laws," he added. "They have zero de-escalation training, a must have for the job they are mishandling, so they’re totally unqualified to be there."
This isn’t the first time a musician has complained about Trump using a song. Last year, a campaign video tweeted by Trump that featured Queen's “We Will Rock You” was taken down after the band’s publisher complained.
According to The Hill, Panic! At The Disco frontman Brendon Urie, Adele, the Rolling Stones, Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler, Rihanna and Elton John, have threatened legal action or rejected Trump’s use of their music at campaign events.
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