Singer Tom Petty’s estate made a threat to take legal action against Arizona Republican Kari Lake’s campaign after including one of his songs in a video.
The estate issued a statement on Thursday, saying, “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 to promote Kari Lake’s failed campaign.”
The statement continues, “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.”
Concluding the statement, the estate said, “Thank you to all of the fans who brought this to our attention and who help us protect his legacy every day.”
Read the statement below:
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. @KariLake
— Tom Petty (@tompetty) November 18, 2022
Thank you to all of the fans who brought this to our attention and who help us protect his legacy every day.
According to ABC News, since the statement, the video appears to have been taken down from Lake’s account.
This is not the first time Lake has sparked criticism from a singer for using one of their songs.
Dee Snider of the band Twisted Sister took aim at Lake for using their song titled, “We’re Not Gonna Take It.”
He tweeted, “HEY IDIOTS! READ THE 1ST LINE: ‘We’ve got the right to CHOOSE!’ This is a PRO-CHOICE anthem you or co-opting. It was NEVER intended for you fascist morons! As the songwriter and singer I DENOUNCE EVERYTHING [Kari Lake] STANDS FOR!”
Snider added, “Write your own damn song!”
HEY IDIOTS! READ THE 1ST LINE:
— Dee Snider??? (@deesnider) July 31, 2022
"We've got the right to CHOOSE!"
This is a PRO-CHOICE anthem you or co-opting. It was NEVER intended for you fascist morons!
As the songwriter & singer I DENOUNCE EVERYTHING @KariLake STANDS FOR!
Write your own damn song!@CNN @FoxNews @MSNBC https://t.co/iNwMFoxI0V
Lake’s campaign responded, “The subtext in your song is very clear to us, [Dee Snider]. We’ve got the right to choose to vote for [Kari Lake]. It’s a timeless song.”
The subtext in your song is very clear to us, @deesnider.
— Kari Lake War Room (@KariLakeWarRoom) July 31, 2022
We've got the right to choose to vote for @KariLake.
It's a timeless song. https://t.co/qf3I9mvktP
Lake announced in a video just days after the race was called for her Democrat opponent Katie Hobbs that she filed a lawsuit attempting to get rid of electronic voting machines and argued she should be vindicated due to problems with printers in Maricopa County.
