David Byrne on Crist suit: I'm one of the "few artists who has the bucks and cojones to challenge" copyright infringement by candidates

Last May, David Byrne explained why he was suing Florida Senate candidate and then-governor Charlie Crist for the unauthorized use of the Talking Heads' "Road to Nowhere" in a campaign video:

"I still believe songs occasionally mean something to people — they obviously mean something personal to the writer, and often to the listener as well. A personal and social meaning is diluted when that same song is used to sell a product (or a politician). If Crist and his campaign folks had asked to use the song, I would have said no."

Byrne, who settled with Crist and his campaign, today:

“I was shocked to discover, while working out our settlement, that the use of songs for political ads is pretty rampant. It turns out I am one of the few artists who has the bucks and cojones to challenge such usage - I'm feeling very manly after my trip to Tampa! Other artists may actually have the anger but not want to take the time and risk the legal bills. I am lucky that I can do that. Anyway, my hope is that by standing up to this practice maybe it can be made to be a less common option, or better yet an option that is never taken in the future.”

While details of the financial part of the settlement haven't been released, apparently a video apology from Crist was part of the deal:

Photo: Wikipedia