'Eye of the Tiger' Guitarist Suing Newt Over Song Use

Survivor's Frankie Sullivan irritated that Gingrich is using 'Rocky III' song
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Jan 31, 2012 12:48 AM CST
Updated Jan 31, 2012 3:00 AM CST

Newt Gingrich is going to have to start playing a different song as he battles his rivals, says Survivor guitarist Frankie Sullivan. The rocker is suing Gingrich over his use of "Eye of the Tiger" at campaign rallies, Reuters reports. Sullivan co-wrote the 1982 hit, best known as the theme song to Rocky III.

A lawsuit filed by Sullivan's music company seeks damages and an injunction to stop Gingrich from using the song. "This has nothing to do with politics. This is a copyright issue," Sullivan's lawyer tells the Chicago Tribune. "We've tried to deal with them for months, and they've been trying to ignore it." The suit is far from the first copyright kerfuffle on the campaign trail. Tom Petty objected to Michele Bachmann's use of "American Girl" and, in 2008, Boston's founding member was outraged by Mike Huckabee's use of "More Than a Feeling." (More Rocky stories.)

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