Twitter removes Trump campaign ad after Linkin Park files copyright complaint over the use of song

Twitter removed a Trump campaign ad on Saturday because the political advertisement used a Linkin Park song, and the alternative rock band objected to having their music used by President Donald Trump. Linkin Park filed a copyright complaint because Trump's ad had their 2002 song "In the End" as the soundtrack of the video.

"Per our copyright policy, we respond to valid copyright complaints sent to us by copyright owner or their authorized representative," a Twitter spokesperson told The Verge on Sunday.
"Linkin Park did not and does not endorse Trump, nor authorize his organization to use any of our music," the official Twitter account for Linkin Park wrote on Saturday night. "A cease and desist has been issued."

The political ad features images of President Trump and excerpts from his inauguration speech set to a cover song version of Linkin Park's "In the End" performed by Tommee Profitt and featuring Fleurie and Jung Youth that was released this year.

On Friday night, White House deputy chief of staff for communications Dan Scavino shared the video on Twitter. President Trump retweeted the video on Saturday. The video has been replaced with a message that says: "This media has been disabled in response to a report by the copyright owner."
Twitter received a Digital Millennium Copyright Act notice from Machine Shop Entertainment, the management company owned by Linkin Park. The July 18 filing was posted on the Lumen Database, a nonprofit transparency initiative that collects requests for the removal of online materials.

Linkin Park's late lead singer, Chester Bennington, was staunchly against President Trump before his death on July 20, 2017. Months before Bennington's death, he tweeted: "I repeat….. Trump is a greater threat to the USA than terrorism!! We have to take back our voices and stand for what we believe in."
Several music artists have instructed the Trump campaign to stop using their songs during campaign events and rallies, including the Rolling Stones, Neil Young, Panic! at the Disco, Pharrell Williams, R.E.M., Aerosmith, Adele, the Village People, and Tom Petty's family.
Last October, Twitter removed a video posted by Trump attacking Joe Biden's son Hunter's relationship with a Ukrainian gas executive. That video was deleted because it used the music and video for Nickelback's song "Photograph."
On June 30, Twitter deleted a meme that Trump posted because the New York Times filed a copyright complaint. The photo in the meme was taken by Pulitzer-Prize winning photographer Damon Winter for a 2015 feature on Trump.
On June 23, Twitter suppressed a Trump tweet that stated: "There will never be an 'Autonomous Zone' in Washington, D.C., as long as I'm your President. If they try they will be met with serious force!"

Twitter put a warning label on the tweet that read: "We've placed a public policy interest notice on this Tweet for violating our policy against abusive behavior, specifically, the presence of a threat of harm against an identifiable group."
A Trump tweet from May 29 was flagged by Twitter for "glorifying violence," a violation of the social media platform's terms of service.

Trump's tweet said: "...These THUGS are dishonoring the memory of George Floyd, and I won't let this happen. Just spoke to Governor Tim Walz and told him that the Military is with him all the way. Any difficulty and we will assume control but, when the looting starts, the shooting starts. Thank you."
Last week, several big-name Twitter accounts were hacked. The official Twitter accounts for Apple, Uber, Elon Musk, Kanye West, and Joe Biden were compromised.

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