Republican presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee is facing a lawsuit stemming from a September rally where the former Arkansas governor used Survivor’s “Eye of the Tiger” without permission. Survivor’s Frankie Sullivan, who co-wrote the 1982 single, is suing Huckabee for unspecified damages after the candidate used the Rocky III theme at the high-profile rally for Kim Davis, the Kentucky county clerk who was jailed for refusing to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, The Associated Press reports. Click here for a full report in Rolling Stone Magazine.

This raises some important questions regarding the rights composers ‘give up’ and the ones that require permission. In the UK – it is clear that any sort of ‘adaptation’ requires permission – and it appears it is the same in the US. Although composer Sullivan is saying he does not like mixing music and politics – I suppose the issue is when your music is used for politics you don’t subscribe to. I wonder if he would have been covered legally if he had a cover version recorded?