Dee Snider has testified in a case against Australian politician/tool Clive Palmer over using the re-written version of his band Twisted Sister‘s song “We’re Not Gonna Take It”.Palmer, with whom Snider has clashed in the past, ripped off the melody and rhythm of “We’re Not Gonna Take It” for his political run for the United Australia Party. The ads feature another vocalist singing the song’s melody with the lyrics: “Australia ain’t gonna cop it, no Australia’s not gonna cop it, Aussies not gonna cop it any more.”
Universal Music, which paid Dee big bucks in 2015 to acquire his music catalog including the publishing rights to “We’re Not Gonna Take It,” filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against Palmer in February.
Snider exploded when he told the Australian court via video, “The rendition was awful, the message was misrepresentative, and Mr. Palmer’s image is not good for my heavy metal image either,” according to News.com.au. “There is nothing to gain from that representation.”
Universal attorney Patrick Flynn told the court that Palmer had balked at paying a $150,000 copyright fee to use the song, and instead offered just $35,000. Lawyers for the former MP have argued Palmer’s use of the song did not infringe on Universal’s copyright because the melody of “We’re Not Gonna Take It” was based on the XMAS song “O Come, All Ye Faithful”. Snider said the two songs were “rhythmically different, and that is inspiration not duplication.”