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David Byrne Settles Lawsuit With Former Florida Gov. Charlie Crist

David ByrneLuca Ghidoni, Getty Images

David Byrne may not be Robin Hood, exactly, but the former Talking Heads head honcho has turned into a talking head, of sorts, for artist rights. On Monday, he settled his lawsuit with former Florida Gov. Charlie Crist (Dem.) for using the Talking Heads song 'Road to Nowhere' without permission in an 2010 advertising campaign. Crist, who was seeking a seat on the U.S. Senate, used the song in a YouTube video attacking his opponent, Marco Rubio.

The Associated Press reports that, while the exact terms of the settlement remain private, both Crist and the offending advertising company were held financially responsible; in addition to payouts, Crist appears in a new YouTube video in which he somberly apologizes to Byrne for using the song.

"Regrettably, the campaign did not ask permission to obtain a license from Mr. Byrne," reads Crist, from a script, in the video apology. "In fact, Mr. Byrne has never permitted his songs to be used for advertising of any kind -- a position I respect, deeply."

Crist goes on to say that the use of 'Road to Nowhere' in his campaign ad was "wrong" and "should not have occurred." But no, the video doesn't end with "I'm Charlie Crist and David Byrne did not approve this message."

But Byrne had his own message to spread about standing up for the copyright infringements that, oddly, have become common in political campaigns. "Other artists may actually have the anger, but not want to take the time and risk the legal bills," he said, in a statement. "I am lucky that I can do that. Anyway, my hope is that by standing up to this practice, maybe it can be made to be a less common option -- or, better yet, an option that is never taken in the future."

Ironically, Crist's opponent, Marco Rubio, who won the Senate race, also used a song without permission in his campaign -- Steve Miller Band's 'Take the Money and Run.' Not taking his own advice from the song, nor Byrne's, Miller has not sued.

Watch Charlie Crist's Video Apology to David Byrne


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