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Judge rules Clive Palmer ripped off hit song for failed election campaign

It’s been a bad week for Clive Palmer. First, his coal mine proposal was blocked, and now he has been ordered to pay $1.5 million damages to a metal band.

Apr 30, 2021, updated Apr 30, 2021
Eighties rocker Dee Snider claims Clive Palmer is bad for his image. Photo: ABC

Eighties rocker Dee Snider claims Clive Palmer is bad for his image. Photo: ABC

The billionaire businessman has been ordered to pay $1.5 million damages after a judge found he infringed the copyright of American rock band Twisted Sister’s song We’re Not Gonna Take It.

Lead singer Dee Snider contended Palmer used his band’s 1980s hit as inspiration for a song Aussies Not Gonna Cop It, broadcast in a television advertisement for his United Australia Party in the 2019 federal election campaign.

But the businessman said he song was actually a rip-off of the Christmas carol O Come, All Ye Faithful.

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In the Federal Court on Friday, Justice Judith Katzmann found in favour of Universal Music Publishing Pty Ltd and ordered Mr Palmer to pay $1.5 million in damages.

Snider had testified the use of his hit in a political ad campaign was “not good for my heavy metal image”.

The judge also permanently restrained Palmer from reproducing the song and ordered him to remove it from all online locations.

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