David Byrne Suing Charlie Crist Over Use of "Road to Nowhere"

AP

David Byrne has filed a $1 million lawsuit against Florida governor and Senate candidate Charlie Crist over Crist's use of the 1985 Talking Heads single "Road to Nowhere," Billboard reports.

Crist, who became an independent after struggling in the GOP primary, reportedly used the ad on a website and in a YouTube attack ad against opponent Marco Rubio.

Byrne told Billboard the suit "is not about politics...It's about copyright and about the fact that it does imply that I would have licensed it and endorsed him and whatever he stands for."

The former Talking Heads singer is represented by the same lawyer, Lawrence Iser, who represented Jackson Browne when Browne successfully sued Sen. John McCain for McCain's use of his "Running on Empty" in the 2008 presidential campaign.

[ellyfromphilly2]

What a perfect song for Crist because as David Byrne wrote with Crist "we're on the road to nowhere comon a long"

[freechoice4all]

its not about politics, David Byrne doesn't care if it was a Democrat, Republican, or Independent. These big wig politician just think they can take anybodys song they want and use it for their elections.

He's running for congress and don't know you can't take somebody else's copyrighted song, lyrics, words, etc, etc without permission. As a legislator and Florida's Governor He and his staff should know fullwell the laws regarding copyright laws!

Has he never watch a movie with the FBI copyright warning?
...FBI where are you? Here is a violation of Federal Law!!!

[thesevenveils]

Good point. Where are the RIAA's pit bulls on this one? Release the hounds.

[thesevenveils]

Who would want their good music associated with a Republican smear campaign?

[us_1776]

Even if a court would agree that there was an infringement they then would look at what the normal royalty would be for use of a song in a political ad and I can tell you it is no where near a million dollars. It would be closer to a couple thousand dollars.

[tngreen]

Let's don't forget the uber smackdown that Ann and Nancy Wilson of Heart put on Sarah Palin for using "Barracuda" without permission. Republicans complain that the poor always want something for nothing, but it seems to me that it's those rich, entitled jerks who are always trying to rip somebody off. Pay up, hypocrites!

[formrusmcsgt]

True.

[barbaram99]

They could asked for permisson to use songs in the ads etc.

[jimbot1957]

So, just what part of Copyright law is it that Politicians, most of whom are Lawyers, don't understand?
Perhaps they'd better use their campaign bribes (oops, I meant "contributions") to hire their own songwriters!