A federal judge dismissed President Donald Trump's lawsuit against the legendary journalist Bob Woodward on Friday that involved the publication of audiotapes from interviews that Woodward conducted with Trump for his 2020 book, "Rage."
Trump sued Woodward in 2023, alleging the agreement he gave for the 19 interviews conducted in 2019 and 2020 did not apply to the inclusion of audio files used in the "The Trump Tapes," an audiobook collection published in 2022.
Trump's legal team argued that the president was a joint author of the tapes and that Woodward and his publisher, Simon & Schuster, did not have the right to sell the recordings. The lawsuit sought $49 million in damages, based on projected sales of the audiobook.
Woodward's legal team said he was the "sole architect and true author" of the interviews and they represented "classic news reporting" to communicate critical information to the public and as a result fell under "fair use."
U.S. District Judge Paul Gardephe rejected Trump's claims of being a joint author, writing, "There is almost no support in the case law for the notion that an interviewee has a copyright interest in his responses to interview questions, and such a conclusion would run counter to animating principles of the Copyright Act."
Gardephe emphasized that such a conclusion would contradict the principles of the copyright and dismissed Trump's state law claims, ruling that they were preempted by federal copyright law.
Woodward, Simon & Schuster, and Paramount Global, which were named as defendants in the lawsuit, argued that the interviews were conducted as part of Woodward's journalistic work and that Trump had consented to the recordings. They maintained that Woodward was the sole author of the interviews and that the publication of the tapes fell under fair use.
A spokesperson for Trump's legal team said: "In another biased action by a New York Court, this wrongful decision was issued without even affording President Trump the basic due process of a hearing. We will continue to ensure that those who commit wrongdoing against President Trump and all Americans are held accountable."
In a statement, Simon & Schuster said, "We're very pleased the Court agreed with us and dismissed the case."
James Morley III ✉
James Morley III is a writer with more than two decades of experience in entertainment, travel, technology, and science and nature.
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