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Tag Archives: rage against the machine

Rage Against the Machine Sends Cease and Desist Letter

August 1, 2018 IM

Though currently on hiatus, the politically-minded band Rage Against the Machine (RATM), whose songs take on government hypocrisy, racism, and oppression, has sent a cease and desist letter to right-wing British parliamentarian and broadcaster Nigel Farage over his Farage Against the Machine podcast.

The band’s lawyer says that Rage sees this as an affront to their values and beliefs that “brazenly and unlawfully exploits our client’s name and logo, without the band’s prior knowledge or consent.”
“RATM has publicly denounced the type of right-wing ideology you espouse; in fact, that has been an integral part of the band’s identity and purpose,” the letter reads, in part. “Your anti-immigrant rhetoric, lack of social compassion, and barely disguised racism and xenophobia are the antithesis of what RATM stands for. Your surprising attempt to associate yourself with RATM is wholly inappropriate and completely inexplicable.”

The letter explains that the Lanham Act protects the band’s name and logo in both the US and the UK.