Trump ‘Dark Knight Rises’ campaign video removed after Warner Brothers legal action – By Variety (NBC News) / April 10 2019
The film company said on Tuesday that it would file a copyright infringement suit against the White House.
LOS ANGELES — President Donald Trump’s latest 2020 campaign video was removed from Twitter Tuesday night after Warner Brothers Pictures requested it be taken down due to the use of music from “The Dark Knight Rises'” score.
“The use of Warner Bros.’ score from ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ in the campaign video was unauthorized,” a Warner Brothers spokesperson said in a statement.
A message where the video used to appear reads: “This media has been disabled in response to a report by the copyright owner.”
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1115716910556090368
At the time of removal, the video had racked up more than 2.3 million views.
The two-minute video not only utilized Hans Zimmer’s “Why Do We Fall?” from the 2012 threequel, but also shared the font used for the film’s title cards.
“First they ignore you. Then they laugh at you. Then they call you a racist. Donald J. Trump. Your vote. Proved them all wrong. Trump: The Great Victory. 2020,” declared the video, using the “Dark Knight Rises” font.
The video also attempted to compare Trump’s rise to power with the apparent poor performances of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, as well as Hollywood personalities who have been critical of the president like Amy Schumer and Rosie O’Donnell.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 2, 2018
Trump has used pop culture references to promote himself in the past, such as his “Game of Thrones”-style poster bearing the legend “Sanctions Are Coming” — a play on the series’ “Winter Is Coming” catchphrase.
“We were not aware of this messaging and would prefer our trademark not be misappropriated for political purposes,” HBO said in a statement at the time, as well as tweeting “How do you say trademark misuse in Dothraki?” from its official Twitter account.
The White House also used a blockbuster-style during Trump’s first meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
