Recently, many artists have been struggling with the Department of Homeland Security and the White House regarding copyright issues. There has been a habit of government videos, largely promoting the immigration policies of Donald Trump, using music without obtaining the permission of the artists who own the rights to the songs. One such artist is the rock band, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club. In July of this year, the Department of Homeland Security posted a recruitment ad on their social media platforms, featuring Black Rebel Motorcycle Club’s cover of “God’s Gonna Cut You Down.” As a result, the band sent them a cease and desist letter and the audio has since been removed from the ad.

According to Loudwire, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club has since received an odd response from the Department of Homeland Security. In an interview with NME, co-vocalist and bassist Robert Levon Been revealed that the Department of Homeland Security replied, “Don’t bother us with your complaints. You got attention and media from just being associated with us, and so you should be grateful.” Been then expressed his surprise that this was from a homeland legal department, saying that it sounded like a message from an “ex-girlfriend.”

Since Trump’s inauguration in January for his second term, the government has generally been a huge topic of controversy, many criticizing the unprofessional behavior displayed among other things. Many artists have been facing this same issue of their material being used illegally. Sabrina Carpenter, Olivia Rodrigo and The Pokémon Company have all faced issues for the illegal usage of copyrighted material to push government propaganda, as well, although the list doesn’t end there. At least the song has been removed from the ad, but this brings to light a larger issue, and is calling into question copyright laws and how they are enforced.

Photo credit: Owen Ela