Guyanese musical star Eddy Grant has taken

legal action against United States President Donald Trump, and his team, for

the unauthorised use of his song in a campaign video.

Grant’s team, in a release, says the Trump

campaign’s use of the former’s 1983 mainstream hit, Electric Avenue, infringed on his intellectual property with its

inclusion in the “derogatory political rhetoric” which he said “can only be

construed at best as being wicked”.

The song was included in an animated video

shared from the personal Twitter account of White House Deputy Chief of Staff,

Dan Scavino and set to “unflattering audio quotes” by Democratic presidential

candidate, Joe Biden, the release stated.

The singer’s legal counsel, Wallace E.J.

Collins, issued a cease and desist letter to Trump’s campaign team stating that

it caused “substantial and irreparable harm” to Grant and his reputation as an

artiste.

Grant said he could understand the abuse of

his rights if it came from the “worst Third World nation” but not from one that

preaches democracy regularly. “…I fail to understand however, that such

an organisation dedicated to the promotion of the President of the United

States, could so seriously abuse my rights as an artist, composer, arranger,

producer and ultimately, the owner of these abused rights”, he said.

Collins also said the Trump team

should “hold any monies arising out of or relating to your campaign and

attributable to the infringing use of ‘Electric Avenue’, until “the matter is

fully and fairly resolved.”