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Artists Equity, the production banner owned by actors Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, has stated that it did not provide consent for the use of a monologue from the film Air in a recent campaign ad for former President Donald Trump.
Over the weekend, Trump shared a fundraising video on his Truth Social platform.
The advertisement showcases footage and images of the former president throughout his life, accompanied by audio of Damon's climactic monologue from Air. In the film, Damon's character, a Nike executive, delivers the speech to persuade a young Michael Jordan to sign a sponsorship deal with the company.
You can see Trump's campaign video below.
\u201cTrump is now cutting web videos w/ Matt Damon\u2019s Air monologue as narration\u2026\u201d— Alex Thompson (@Alex Thompson) 1686403660
A spokesperson for Artists Equity later criticized Trump and his campaign video, saying the production comany "did not consent" to the use of the monologue.
They said:
“We had no foreknowledge of, did not consent to and do not endorse or approve any footage or audio from ‘Air’ being repurposed by the Trump campaign as a political advertisement or for any other use."
"Specifically in terms of any and all rights available to us under U.S. copyright and intellectual property law, we hereby, expressly give notice that in the case of any use of material from ‘Air’ by the Trump campaign where approval or consent is required, we do not grant such consent.”
Trump has a long history of failing to attain proper permission or consent for the use of copyrighted material in campaign ads or any other public contexts.
He has repeatedly been called out for unauthorized use of music by artists as varied as David Bowie and Rihanna. Last year, Journey keyboardist Jonathan Cain was even hit with a cease-and-desist order by an attorney for bandmate Neal Schon after performing Journey's hit song "Don't Stop Believin'" for Trump at his Mar-a-Lago estate and resort club.
Many have criticized Trump's latest copyright violation.
\u201c@AlexThomp The theft of intellectual property aside, that video shows a staggering level of sociopathic narcissism.\u201d— Alex Thompson (@Alex Thompson) 1686403660
\u201c@AlexThomp Copyright Infringement, implied endorsement by the celeb, production and or distributor\u2026\n\nActionable.\u201d— Alex Thompson (@Alex Thompson) 1686403660
\u201c@AlexThomp Couldn\u2019t find any dramatic monologues from Kevin Sorbo or Scott Baio to use?\u201d— Alex Thompson (@Alex Thompson) 1686403660
\u201c@AlexThomp I hope he gets SUED big time!!!\u201d— Alex Thompson (@Alex Thompson) 1686403660
\u201c@AlexThomp Someone needs to make a DMCA complaint on all the platforms where it's playing.\u201d— Alex Thompson (@Alex Thompson) 1686403660
\u201c@AlexThomp I think at this point in the game this is quite the statement, but this may be the most ridiculous thing I have ever seen in my entire life. Are they even aware how much more ridiculous the voiceover makes it seem?\u201d— Alex Thompson (@Alex Thompson) 1686403660
\u201c@AlexThomp Why would they even think this was ok?\u201d— Alex Thompson (@Alex Thompson) 1686403660
\u201c@AlexThomp Matt Damon\u2026sue him for one of his golf courses. Then just take it when he keeps playing your voice.\u201d— Alex Thompson (@Alex Thompson) 1686403660
Trump's campaign video was published shortly after he was federally indicted in the Mar-a-Lago classified documents case.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) took a significant and impactful action by formally accusing Trump of committing federal crimes.
The unsealed indictment includes 38 felony counts leveled against him and his valet encompassing the intentional retention of national defense secrets in violation of the Espionage Act, making false statements, and participating in a conspiracy to obstruct justice.
The indictment marks the first instance of a former President facing federal charges and comes just over two months after local prosecutors in New York filed over 30 felony charges against Trump. These charges were related to a case involving a hush money payment made to porn star Stormy Daniels prior to the 2016 election.