Cast members Ben Affleck, Viola Davis and Matt Damon (L-R) attend the premiere of the motion picture drama "Air" on March 27. File Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI |
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June 10 (UPI) -- Matt Damon and Ben Affleck's production company has slammed Donald Trump for violating its copyright after the former president shared a video that misused a monologue from their latest film, "Air."
Trump had shared a campaign video that used more than two minutes of Damon speaking as Sonny Vaccaro, the sports marketing executive behind Nike's Air Jordan shoe line.
"People are going to build you up. God, are they going to. Because when you're great and new, we love you. Man, we'll build you into something that doesn't even exist. You're going to change the [expletive] world," Damon's voice says as pictures of Trump flash on the screen.
"But you know what? Once they've built you as high as they possibly can, they're going to tear you back down. It's the most predictable pattern."
In the video shared by Trump, the screen then flashes headlines about the raid at his Mar-a-Lago Club in Florida and subsequent indictment.
"We had no foreknowledge of, did not consent to and do not endorse or approve any footage or audio from Air being repurposed by the Trump campaign as a political advertisement or for any other use," Artists Equity, the production company, said in a statement.
"Specifically in terms of any & all rights available to us under US copyright and intellectual property law, we hereby, expressly give notice that in the case of any use of material from Air by the Trump campaign where approval or consent is required, we do not grant such consent."
It was not immediately clear if Artists Equity plans to pursue legal action against the former president.
This is not the first time Trump has faced copyright violation concerns. In 2021, a federal judge in New York sided with musician Eddy Grant amid a lawsuit over the use of his song "Electric Avenue" in a political campaign. Trump had tried to argue that it was fair use in seeking a dismissal.
Last year, he was accused of using copyrighted images in his collection of NFTs which he sold as "Trump Trading Cards." The images featured Trump photoshopped into a series of outfits, including a cowboy costume on which eagle-eyed social media users spotted a watermark.