Tom Petty’s estate is issuing a cease and desist to Republican Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake.
Lake recently lost the race to Democrat Katie Hobbs but has been using Petty’s “I Won’t Back Down” as she refuses to concede.
Petty’s publisher Wixen Music Publishing said, “It has come to Wixen’s and the Claimants’ attention that you and Kari Lake for Arizona are currently broadcasting, exhibiting, distributing, and otherwise exploiting the Composition in synchronization with an advertisement video made in connection with your bid to contest the results of the 2022 election for governor of Arizona without Wixen’s and the Claimants’ approval.”
The letter goes on to say any further use of the song could result in up to $150,000 per infringement.
The publishing company also called for Lake’s campaign to confirm it has received the cease-and-desist letter by next week, and to provide Wixen with any further uses of the song from her campaign.
