Former Twisted Sister frontman Dee Snider has won a $1.2 million copyright case against Australian politician Clive Palmer.
According to the Sydney Morning Herald, a judge ruled that Palmer used the rhythm and melody from the Snider-penned hit single “We’re Not Gonna Take It” in 2019 campaign ads without permission.
Palmer had argued that he came up with his campaign song – which features the lyrics “Australia ain’t gonna cop it, no Australia’s not gonna cop it, Australia’s not gonna cop it anymore” – independently and that Snider had no right to the copyright due to his song’s similarities to the 18th-century Christmas carol “Oh Come, All Ye Faithful.”
A statement from Snider helped clarify that his song was inspired by, and not a copy of, “Oh Come, All Ye Faithful.” His team presented evidence that Palmer had in fact tried to license the Twisted Sister song for use in the campaign ads.
Federal Court Judge Anna Katzmann ruled this proved Palmer knew he needed a license but “decided to go ahead without one.” She also declared Palmer’s claim that he had independently written the campaign anthem “ludicrous” and “fanciful,” adding that “he gave false evidence, including concocting a story to exculpate himself.”
“Hallelujah!” Snider exclaimed on Twitter. “Just found out that the copyright infringement of ‘We’re Not Gonna Take It’ by ‘politician’ Clive Palmer in Australia has been decided majorly in favor of myself as writer and @UMG as publishers! WE’RE NOT GONNA TAKE COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT ANY MORE!!”
Palmer, a mining magnate who was declared the eighth richest man in Australia in 2020, served in Australia’s Parliament from 2013-16 as the head of his self-named right-wing Palmer United Party. Although the party was de-registered in 2017, he changed its name to the United Australia Party the following year.
The party endorsed 55 candidates in the 2020 elections in Queensland, a state located in northeast Australia. Despite massive spending on political ads such as the one featuring the reinterpretation of “We’re Not Gonna Take It,” Palmer and his party failed to win any races.
Palmer has yet to comment on the judgment. Snider is due to release his third post-Twisted Sister solo album, Leave a Scar, in July.