Another day, another story about billionaire politician, Clive Palmer, trying to ascend his greasy capitalist pole.
Clive Palmer has been ordered to pay $1.5 million in damages to Universal Music and Twisted Sister after losing a copyright case involving the band’s 1984 song We’re Not Gonna Take It.
Universal sued Palmer for ripping off the song in an advertisement for his political party, United Australia Party, in the 2019 federal election. His team claimed that he wrote the ripped-off track Aussies not Gonna Cop It in September 2019.
The story gets more ridiculous, as Clive Palmer told the court that he composed the track while in “deep contemplation” about “what the party was going to achieve for ordinary Australians,” – kinda hard when you’re a billionaire that feeds off the irreversible destruction of First Nations land (but maybe that’s just me!) – and citing inspiration from the movie Network.
He also tried to argue that the song he allegedly copied, was itself ripped-off from the Christmas carol O Come All Ye Faithful, an argument which the judge rejected.
HALLELUJAH!! Just found out that the copyright infringement of “We’re Not Gonna Take It” by “politician” Clive Palmer in Australia has been decided MAJORLY in favor of myself as writer and @UMG as publishers! WE’RE NOT GONNA TAKE COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT ANY MORE!!
— Dee Snider🇺🇸 (@deesnider) April 30, 2021
In her ruling, Justice Anna Katzmann said that Palmer – using an alias “Terry Smith” – approached Universal about using the song, but rejected the $150,000 fee for Twister Sister frontman, Dee Snider to approve the ad before it aired and then proceeded to use the song without permission.
“In the face of the evidence it is, with respect, ludicrous to suggest that the UAP recording was created independently,” Justice Katzmann said.
Ironically enough, despite the use of the ripped-off track, the UAP won a total of zero seats in the 2019 election.
Dear Clive Palmer #auspol pic.twitter.com/P8LVgbOYz0
— mlb kiwi (@mlbkiwi) April 30, 2021
