MONTREAL - U.S. presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich's campaign is striking a sour note with a Montreal record label.
Third Side Music has sent Gingrich's team a cease and desist order demanding they stop using the song "How You Like Me Now" at campaign events.
The song is by the British band The Heavy, and the Third Side record label holds the rights to it.
Jeff Waye of Third Side says he was surprised to hear the song associated with Gingrich's recent jump in popularity.
Montreal lawyer Michael Solis says most copyright laws -- including the one in Canada -- leave approval of the song's use to the copyright owner.
He's surprised Gingrich's team didn't think of that.
Waye said he was surprised to know the song was being used by the Republican hopeful.
"Neither us, nor the band, have particularly approved the usage of it," he said in an interview with Montreal Global TV affiliate.
It's not the first time a musician's work has been co-opted by a political campaign.
Tom Petty's "American Girl" was used by Republican Michelle Bachmann last year and Bruce Springsteen's "Born in the U.S.A." was played at Ronald Reagan rallies during his run for the presidency in 1984.
As far as the band and their label are concerned, "it's not so much about being associated with any specific ideology, it's more about maintaining control over their music."
Waye thinks the whole thing is kind of funny.
"I think it's hilarious in a lot of ways that I go into work every morning to do a lot of things, and most of the time, I don't think I'm gonna go to war with Newt Gingrich."
