Silversun Pickups ask Mitt Romney to stop using their song without permission (VIDEO)
Presumptive Republican presidential nominee and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney speaks during a campaign stop May 16, 2012 in St. Petersburg, Florida. Romney continues to face criticism over his tenure at private equity firm Bain Capital.
Silversun Pickups have sent a cease and desist letter to Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney asking him to stop using their song "Panic Switch."
Romney has reportedly been using the song at events along his campaign trail without having obtained permission from the band, TMZ reported.
"As former governor of the state of Massachusetts, a graduate of Harvard Law School, and candidate for US President, we're pretty sure you're familiar with the laws of this great country of ours," The Los Angeles-based band's attorney wrote in a letter Republican presidential candidate's campaign sent on Wednesday. "We're writing because, like you, we think these laws are important."
"We don't like people going behind our backs, using our music without asking, and we don't like the Romney campaign," Silversun Pickups' frontman Brian Aubert said in a statement to E! News.
"We're nice, approachable people. We won't bite. Unless you're Mitt Romney! We were very close to just letting this go because the irony was too good. While he is inadvertently playing a song that describes his whole campaign, we doubt that 'Panic Switch' really sends the message he intends," Aubert continued.
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A representative for Romney's campaign issued a statement in defense of the GOP candidate Thursday.
”As anyone who attends Gov. Romney’s events knows, this is not a song we would have played intentionally,” Andrea Saul said, according to Entertainment Weekly. “That said, it was covered under the campaign’s regular blanket license, but we will not play it again.”
This isn't the first time a politician has run into trouble for using music without permission.
In 2008, Jackson Browne successfully sued John McCain’s campaign for using his song “Running On Empty,” the Los Angeles Times reported. Survivor, an 80's rock group, also stopped their hit song "Eye of the Tiger" from being used by Newt Gingrich's campaign earlier this year.
Romney's campaign also pulled an attack ad featuring Obama singing a part of Al Green’s hit “Let’s Stay Together” YouTube because the song's publisher said the use constituted a violation of copyright, the Los Angeles Times reported.
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