Court Rules JACKSON BROWNE Lawsuit Against John McCain Can Proceed

MUSIC NEWS - The US District Court for the Central District of California has denied the motions of Senator John McCain and the Republican National Committee to stop the lawsuit filed by singer/ songwriter Jackson Browne for the unauthorized use of Browne's voice and song Running On Empty in a presidential campaign commercial ! A legal victory for Mr Browne, who filed his suit in August, 2008 for copyright infringement, false endorsement and violation of his right of publicity. In a series of rulings on February 20, 2009, Judge Gary Klausner, rejected McCain's/RNC arguments that the First Amendment or copyright's fair use doctrine allows their unauthorized use of Browne's voice and song because the use occurred in a political campaign commercial.

Browne's attorney, Lawrence Iser,said; "The Court's decision is a solid victory for songwriters and performers and reflects an affirmation of their intellectual property rights and their freedom from being conscripted as involuntary endorsers of political candidates and campaign messages. We are happy that the Court recognized that persons and parties running for office are not entitled to violate an individual's intellectual property and publicity rights simply because they are engaged in political campaigns. We look forward to presenting Jackson Browne's case to the jury." You can read the Court’s Orders denying the RNC's motions here, here, here and here.

We wonder if Ann & Nancy Wilson, HEART, will now consider action against McCain for his use of their music and classic rock hit, Barracuda ??

In other Jackson Browne news, he's about to embark on a tour; February thru May taking his music to Australia, NZ, the UK and Europe (see itinerary below) in support of his latest album,Time the Conqueror (buy CD here).

JACKSON BROWNE 2009 World Tour -

Wed 02/25/09	Auckland, New Zealand	The Civic
Fri 02/27/09	Brisbane, Australia	Brisbane Riverstage
Sat 02/28/09	Pokolbin, Australia	Tempus Two Winery
Mon 03/02/09	Haymarket, Australia	Sydney Ent'ment Centre
Thu 03/05/09	Melbourne, Australia	Palais Theatre
Sat 03/07/09	Melbourne, Australia	Sutton Grange Winery

Tue 03/10/09	Townsville, Australia	Entertainment Centre
Wed 03/11/09	Cairns, Australia	Cairns Convention Centre
Sat 03/14/09	Perth, Australia	Kings Park Perth
Sun 03/15/09	Adelaide, Australia	Festival Theatre
Sat 03/21/09	Belfast, United Kingdom	Ulster Hall
Mon 03/23/09	Dublin, Ireland	Olympia Theatre
Fri 03/27/09	Sheffield, United Kingdom	Sheffield City Hall
Sat 03/28/09	Liverpool, United Kingdom	Philharmonic Hall
Mon 03/30/09	Manchester, United Kingdom	Apollo Manchester
Tue 03/31/09	Manchester, United Kingdom	Apollo Manchester
Thu 04/02/09	Glasgow, United Kingdom	Glasgow Royal Concert Hall
Fri 04/03/09	Edinburgh, United Kingdom	Edinburgh Festival Theatre
Sun 04/05/09	Gateshead, United Kingdom	The Sage
Mon 04/06/09	Gateshead, United Kingdom	The Sage
Wed 04/08/09	Birmingham, United Kingdom	Symphony Hall
Thu 04/09/09	Birmingham, United Kingdom	Symphony Hall
Sat 04/11/09	Bristol, United Kingdom	Colston Hall
Mon 04/13/09	London, United Kingdom	Royal Albert Hall
Wed 04/15/09	Berlin, Germany	Arena
Fri 04/17/09	Cologne, Germany	E-Werk
Sat 04/18/09	Tuttlingen, Germany	Stadthalle
Mon 04/20/09	Stuttgart, Germany	Theaterhaus
Tue 04/21/09	Erlangen, Germany	Heinrich-Lades-Halle
Thu 04/23/09	Munich, Germany	Circus Krone Bau

Sat 04/25/09	Antwerp, Belgium	Queen Elisabeth Hall
Mon 04/27/09	Paris, France	Olympia
Tue 04/28/09	Amsterdam, Netherlands	Heineken Music Hall

Fri 05/01/09	Bergen, Norway	Grieghallen
Sat 05/02/09	Oslo, Norway	Sentrum Scene

Mon 05/04/09	Stockholm, Sweden	Cirkus
Tue 05/05/09	Copenhagen, Denmark	Amager Bio
Thu 05/07/09	Milan, Italy	Teatro Ciak
Sun 05/10/09	Rome, Italy	Accademia di S. Cecilia
Mon 05/11/09	Bologna, Italy	Teatro Manzoni