Tom Petty’s estate on Thursday it is considering legal action after the late rocker’s “I Won’t Back Down” was used in a video for failed Arizona governor candidate Kari Lake.
In a tweet, the estate said Petty’s 1989 song “was stolen and used without permission or a license to promote Kari Lake’s failed campaign.
“This is illegal. We are exploring all of our legal options to stop this unauthorized use and to prohibit future misappropriations of Tom’s beloved anthem.”
The statement thanked fans for helping to “protect his legacy.”
Lake tweeted the video, which runs just under two minutes, on Wednesday.
Endorsed by Donald Trump, Lake – who repeated the former U.S. president's lies about election fraud – lost to Democratic candidate Katie Hobbs.
The Tom Petty estate and our partners were shocked to find out that Tom’s song “I Won’t Back Down” was stolen and used without permission or a license to promote Kari Lake’s failed campaign. pic.twitter.com/DoT71whO43
— Tom Petty (@tompetty) November 18, 2022
In 2020, Petty’s family blasted Trump after “I Won’t Back Down” was played at one of his rallies.
“Trump was in no way authorized to use this song to further a campaign that leaves too many Americans and common sense behind,” read a statement from Petty’s daughters Adria and Annakim, their mother Jane and Petty’s second wife Dana.
“Tom Petty would never want a song of his used for a campaign of hate. He liked to bring people together.”
The family said it has issued a cease and desist notice to the Trump campaign because “we would hate for fans that are marginalized by this administration to think we were complicit in this usage."
Petty died in 2017 of an accidental drug overdose. He was 66.
Earlier this week, the estate of Isaac Hayes said it is exploring its legal options after the Sam & Dave hit “Hold On, I’m Coming” – which Hayes co-wrote – was played at Trump’s campaign launch.
The estate acknowledged that “stopping a politician from using your music is not always an easy task, but we are dedicated to making sure that Donald Trump does not continue to use ‘Hold On, I’m Coming’ … in further rallies and public appearances.”
Several music acts, including Rihanna, Village People, Phil Collins and Canada’s Neil Young, objected to their songs being played at Trump rallies during his 2016 and 2020 campaigns.