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No 'Eye' for Newt?

NEED TO KNOW
  • The co-composer of the song 'Eye of the Tiger' is suing Newt Gingrich for copyright infringement
  • The lawsuit's complaint says Gingrich's unauthorized use of the song goes back to 2009

Newt Gingrich may not be able use the famous song “Eye of the Tiger” to pump up crowds at campaign events any more.

CNN reports that the co-composer of the “Rocky III” anthem, Frank Sullivan, does not appreciate Gingrich using the song as part of his campaign. On Monday, Sullivan filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against the Republican presidential candidate for unauthorized use of the Grammy-winning tune.

The lawsuit’s complaint says Gingrich’s first violation of federal copyright act happened three years ago at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), and since then his campaign has used the song at numerous events where Gingrich took the stage.

The complaint also argues that the former House speaker has intimate knowledge of the copyright act because he has authored more than 40 copyrighted works.

Sullivan wants Gingrich's campaign to stop using his song, and also wants to be paid for damages.

CNN has reached out to the Gingrich campaign for a response to the lawsuit. The campaign did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

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