Warner Bros initiates legal action against Trump over 'unauthorised use' of Batman music in campaign video

US President Trump’s latest 2020 campaign video was removed from Twitter on 9 April (Tuesday night) after Warner Brothers Pictures requested for it to be taken down due to copyright violation issues. The two-minute video for his 2020 re-election campaign featured Hans Zimmer’s ‘Why Do We Fall?’ from the 2012 film The Dark Knight Rises. It also featured the font used for the film’s title cards. Following Warner Bros’ decision to take legal action, the video was brought down and replaced by a message citing copyright issues. At the time of removal, the video had racked up more than 2.3 million views, reports Variety.

In a statement, Warner Bros said, “The use of Warner Bros’ score from The Dark Knight Rises in the campaign video was unauthorised. We are working through the appropriate legal channels to have it removed.” According to the The Guardian, Trump is also no stranger to artists asking him to stop using their music. Prince, Pharrell Williams and the Rolling Stones have all taken issue with the him playing their songs at campaign rallies. Trump has used pop culture references to promote himself in the past, such as his Game of Thrones-style poster bearing the legend Sanctions Are Coming — a play on the series’ Winter Is Coming catchphrase.