Neil Young Is Suing a Trump Fundraising Committee for $10 Million Over Alleged Unlicensed Use of His Song at Rallies
by Jerome London · Thought CatalogUpdated 3 minutes ago, October 27, 2026
Neil Young says a Trump fundraising committee played “Rockin’ in the Free World” before Donald Trump took the stage at an October 12 rally in Youngstown, Ohio, without a license or his permission. His new lawsuit says Trump’s former campaign had already promised to stop using the song without authorization after a 2020 legal fight.
Young filed the copyright case on October 26 in federal court in the Eastern District of Virginia. He’s seeking $10 million from Trump 47 Committee Inc., a joint fundraising committee formed with the Republican National Committee, plus an order barring further political performances of his songs. Trump isn’t personally named as a defendant.
The complaint identifies the rally at Youngstown’s Covelli Centre, where Trump campaigned for Republicans, including Sen. Jon Husted. Young also alleges the recording was used at other Republican rallies in 2026, though the filing doesn’t identify those events. He says the use suggests he supports Trump and has harmed his reputation and brand.
The song appeared on Young’s 1989 album Freedom. His complaint describes its chorus as “savage irony” and says: “In short, the Song is the opposite of everything that Donald J. Trump stands for.”
Young’s earlier lawsuit, filed through Silver Fiddle Music in August 2020, concerned both “Rockin’ in the Free World” and “Devil’s Sidewalk,” including their use at Trump’s Tulsa rally that June. He dismissed that case with prejudice in December 2020.
The new complaint says the former campaign settled and promised it would never use “Rockin’ in the Free World” again without a license and Young’s permission. The settlement agreement isn’t in the public court file, and the new filing gives no settlement amount.
The former campaign and the committee now being sued are different corporations. No court has decided whether the earlier promise binds the committee.
A musician’s objection alone also doesn’t establish copyright infringement: public-performance licenses can authorize political uses. Young alleges this committee had no such license.
The $10 million is Young’s demand, not a damages award, and the complaint doesn’t explain how he calculated it. As of the supplied October 26 reporting, the committee hadn’t answered the lawsuit, and no court had ruled on the allegations.
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