Republican gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake, who is refusing to concede her defeat at the hands of Democratic rival Katie Hobbs in the Arizona Gov. race, sparked the ire of the estate of the late singer Tom Petty for using Petty’s classic track “I Won’t Back Down” in a video promoting her efforts to overturn her election loss.
Petty’s estate is not happy and posted a message on Twitter slamming the failed Trump-backed candidate for using Petty’s song without permission.
“The Tom Petty estate and our partners were shocked to find out that Tom’s song ‘I Won’t Back Down’ was stolen and used without permission or a license to promote Kari Lake’s failed campaign,” the estate wrote.
“This is illegal. We are exploring all of our legal options to stop this unauthorized use and to prohibit future misappropriations of Tom’s beloved anthem.”
Hobbs was declared the winner of the Arizona gubernatorial election on Monday, but Lake has refused to accept the results and has vowed to continue fighting in the courts.
See Tom Petty estate’s tweet and some of the responses below.
This is illegal. We are exploring all of our legal options to stop this unauthorized use and to prohibit future misappropriations of Tom’s beloved anthem. @KariLake
Thank you to all of the fans who brought this to our attention and who help us protect his legacy every day.
— Tom Petty (@tompetty) November 18, 2022
And fans piled on:
I was shocked and horrified when I heard Kari Lake using my much loved Tom Petty song that means so much to me to represent her stand on her perceived “election discrepancies”, which I’m sure she’ll be calling stolen, if she hasn’t already. Don’t let her get away with it!
— Pamela U (@UlmPamela) November 18, 2022
Hey @KariLake: Don’t come around here no more.
— Don Keyhoty🇮🇪🇺🇸🇺🇦 (@dkearnsjr) November 18, 2022
Please make it as punitively expensive as legally possible. I mean really make an example out of Kari Lake for it. Throw all the books in the library
— Rachael013Ⓥ ⚖️🔥🚀🦍 🌙 (@savage_vegan013) November 18, 2022
She, of all people, should know when and how to use other people’s music as she was a journalist for over 25 years. She knows better.
— _jbabb_ (@_jbabb_) November 18, 2022
@KariLake is currently at mar a lago with trump. Trump who always used music without permission. She is learning well isnt she?
— Kimmy in Az ☄️ (@kimemdoyle) November 18, 2022
Go get her!! People like her & other MAGA constantly trash liberals & anything not affiliated w/their cult. 😡 MAGA continue to ‘steal’ artists’ music b/c they aren’t talented enough to create anything of their own. Why is MAGA so obsessed with stealing?🤔
— Monica 🇺🇦🌻✌🏼🐾🎸 (@MonicaFalk64) November 18, 2022
