Huckabee paying $25,000 for 'Eye of the Tiger'

Mike Huckabee, former governor of Arkansas, shown speaking in February in West Des Moines, Iowa.
Mike Huckabee, former governor of Arkansas, shown speaking in February in West Des Moines, Iowa.

WASHINGTON -- Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee's presidential campaign has agreed to pay $25,000 to settle a lawsuit for using a 1980s rock anthem, "Eye of the Tiger," without the permission of the music's owner, CNN Money said this week.


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Terms of the settlement between the campaign and Rude Music Inc. are confidential, but details have emerged in recent Federal Election Commission filings.

Huckabee for President Inc. listed a $12,500 debt to Rude Music Inc. as of May 31 on documents filed with the election commission.

But the campaign also paid $12,500 to the Chicago-area business on May 4, according to commission filings.

The unauthorized use of the band Survivor's hit song, "Eye of the Tiger," during a Sept. 8 rally in eastern Kentucky lasted barely a minute.

The song was playing as Huckabee was joined on stage by Kim Davis, a county official who had been jailed after prohibiting her office from issuing marriage licenses to gays.

Rude Music Inc., which is owned by Survivor founding member Frank M. Sullivan III, sued Huckabee for President Inc. in November, alleging copyright infringement.

Attorneys for Rude Music have not responded to requests for comment. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the governor's daughter and former campaign manager, did not respond to a request for comment Tuesday afternoon.

It's unclear how much of the debt Huckabee will ultimately have to pay himself.

The campaign asked the commission last month whether it's permissible for a legal defense fund to collect funds to pay off the debt.

The commission released a draft advisory opinion, dated June 9, saying the arrangement would be allowable under federal law.

But the commission released a revised draft, dated June 17, saying it would be impermissible for the fund to pay the settlement.

The revised draft noted that Huckabee had personally guaranteed the settlement obligation, adding: "Paying Governor Huckabee's debt on his behalf is functionally and legally indistinguishable from making a disbursement to Governor Huckabee himself."

The public has until noon today to comment on the latest draft. The election commission is scheduled to consider the issue when it meets on Thursday.

Huckabee isn't the first politician to wind up in court over "Eye of the Tiger."

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich faced a similar lawsuit after using the song without permission during his 2012 presidential campaign. That suit was settled; the terms of the settlement were not disclosed.

The rock anthem, which was included in the Rocky III soundtrack, topped the Billboard charts for six weeks during the summer of 1982 and earned the group a Grammy.

Metro on 06/29/2016

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