Actually, that's not what happened. Rush start using the song without permission and some liberal scumbag told the band. The band then told Rush not to use it - but their parents (who are Rush listeners) talked to them and told Rush he could use it if he donated to PETA or something. And that's what Rush did.
I never would have known that was an actual song. I had always thought the distinctive riff was something that was personally made for Rush.
Your versions doesn’t sound completely right to me, so I did some research. This happened many years after Rush had been using the song for years and years. According to Wikipedia, Crissy Hynde donates the fees to PETA that she receives from Rush (Rush does NOT write the checks to PETA). Being a 20 year listener to Rush, I remember the incident very well. Rush discussed the issue many times on his show at the time, and asked for listener input on whether to keep that song as his theme song, or go to a different song. The listeners overwhelmingly preferred the Pretender song, so Rush’s lawyers made the deal with Hynde’s lawyers.
Here is the relevant quote from Wikipedia:
“When a landmark copyright case was decided in the 1990s, musical artists gained control over their works when performed thematically. Briefly in 1999, Limbaugh was forced to suspend playing the song while negotiating with the attorneys of the song’s writer, Crissie Hynde. She decided to allow Limbaugh to use it, with Limbaugh paying her approximately $500,000/year which she donates to the animal rights organization PETA. Hynde explained that she doesn’t agree with Limbaugh but her parents are big fans.”