Singer sues McCain for using song to attack Obama

Singer-songwriter Jackson Browne sued Republican presidential nominee-in-waiting John McCain and the Ohio and national Republican committees in US District Court in Los Angeles, accusing them of using his song Running on Empty without his permission.

The lawsuit claims the song's use was an infringement of his copyright and will lead people to conclude he endorses Mr McCain.

The suit says Browne is a lifelong liberal who is as well-known for his music as for being "an advocate for social and environmental justice".

The advertisement mocks Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama's contention that if US drivers got regular tuneups and drove on properly inflated tyres, they could save the same amount of oil that would be gained by offshore drilling.

According to the suit, Running on Empty plays in the background of the ad criticizing the remarks.

Robert Bennett, chairman of the Ohio party, said the ad was pulled when Browne objected. He called the lawsuit a "big to-do about nothing".

McCain spokesman Brian Rogers disavowed the ad, saying it wasn't a product of the Republican presidential candidate's campaign.

Browne's lawsuit contends the Ohio Republican party released the ad on behalf of Mr McCain and the RNC.

The suit notes that other musicians, including ABBA and John Cougar Mellencamp, have asked Mr McCain to stop using their work.

Browne's attorney, Lawrence Iser, called the ad's use of the song "reprehensible".