Posted on 01/30/2023 8:37:33 PM PST by SeekAndFind
Former President Donald Trump sued famed journalist Bob Woodward on Monday over the release of audio recordings of his interviews with Trump, who claims he never agreed to allow those tapes to be sold to the public.
Woodward, publisher Simon & Schuster and its parent company, Paramount Global, “unlawfully usurped” Trump’s copyright interests and other rights by publishing an audiobook featuring hours of “raw” audio from Woodward’s many interviews with Trump, the lawsuit alleges.
The suit seeks $50 million or more which it says is based on an estimate that the audiobook, “The Trump Tapes,” sold more than 2 million copies at $24.99 apiece.
The 31-page complaint, filed in federal court in Pensacola, Florida, alleges that Trump “repeatedly stated to Woodward, in the presence of others, that he was agreeing to be recorded for the sole purpose of Woodward being able to write a single book.”
That book, 2021′s “Rage,” failed to replicate the success of Woodward’s previous book on the Trump White House, according to the lawsuit. Woodward then “decided to exploit, usurp, and capitalize upon President Trump’s voice by releasing the Interview Sound Recordings of their interviews with President Trump in the form of an audiobook,” the complaint alleges.
Simon & Schuster did not immediately comment on the lawsuit.
Woodward interviewed Trump over the phone and in person 19 times between December 2019 and August 2020, according to the lawsuit. Woodward and his publisher assembled more than eight hours of audio from those interviews, plus another from 2016, for the audiobook, which was released last October “without President Trump’s permission,” the lawsuit says.
Trump “made Woodward aware on multiple occasions, both on and off the record, of the nature of the limited license to any recordings, therefore retaining for himself the commercialization and all other rights
(Excerpt) Read more at cnbc.com ...
I doubt if Trump wins this lawsuit. It would have been better had he never sat down and subitted to an interview with Woodward in the first place. He’s only doing what any so called reporter is expected to do, report on his subject.
In today’s liberal environment, no remark is ever ‘off the table’ when you’re a republican president.
“filed in federal court in Pensacola, Florida”
Does Woodward live in that area?
> Woodward interviewed Trump over the phone and in person 19 times between December 2019 and August 2020
19 mistakes.
I would imagine that Woodward made sure that he had the authority to release those recordings. Most likely in some paperwork that Trump signed.
Ever in writing?
Another example of Trump self sabotage.
With the border disaster, inflation, North Korea, Russia, Iran, runaway inflation, corruption at the DOJ and FBI, one would think Trump had better things to focus on and do.
If Trump did not at least try to sue, it merely teaches the left that they can get away with anything. But it won’t stop them from trying again. This is war.
Wrong venue for starters. Trump filing for injunctive relief now is a joke. Trump claiming that there is a contract because he repeatedly said “This is for the book only” is a losing argument.
Good question. A Pensacola jury would certainly favor Trump. Woodward probably will try to get the venue changed to Darktown DC where the dusky jury pool are inclined toward a dark prejudicial take on President Trump.
Indeed. And it seems an odd theory. If there was an agreement as to use of the materials, the action should sound in contract. Not my area of expertise but looks like venue on the copyright claimis proper in DC, where Woodward lives per Wikipedia.
https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/28/1400
I don’t recall which of Trump’s brain trust strongly advocated for the interview. Still, Trump’s a bright guy, and I’ve never been able to fathom why he thought that the interview was a good idea
I could be wrong, but I doubt DeSantis would ever agree to any interviews with hostile media types.
Trump wanted to be loved by lib backstabbers like Woodward. It’s his fatal flaw.
DeSantis has contempt for all of them. Which is the way it should be.
I always believed the issue of frivolous lawsuits was over blown. No longer.
I always believed the issue of frivolous lawsuits was over blown. No longer.
“...one would think Trump had better things to focus on and do”
Are you that dense? Trump has lawyers. Trump is not engaged on this. Trump and his lawyers had a conference, reviewed all the elements of the case, and Trump gave them his okay for a suit. That is the extent of Trump’s involvment.
Good! Go after that traitor Bernstein too.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.