Donald Trump's lawsuit against Bob Woodward over audiobook is dismissed
The decision by US District Judge Paul Gardephe in Manhattan is a victory for Woodward, his publisher Simon & Schuster and its former owner Paramount Global.
They had argued that federal law barred the US president from copyrighting interviews conducted as part of his official duties, and that no president before him ever demanded royalties for publishing presidential interviews.
The defendants also called Woodward the "sole architect and true author" of the interviews, just as journalists like the late Walter Cronkite and Barbara Walters were in interviews with other presidents.
Woodward also said his interviews reflected "classic news reporting" that helped convey accurate information to the public, and thus amounted to "fair use."
Trump was interviewed by Woodward 19 times between December 2019 and August 2020, and about 20 per cent of "Rage" came from the interviews.
The book was released in September 2020, while the audiobook "The Trump Tapes," including Woodward's commentary, was released in October 2022.
Trump sued in January 2023, saying he told Woodward repeatedly that the interviews were meant solely for the book.
Woodward said he never agreed to that restriction.
The US$49.98 million damages request was based on what Trump's lawyers called projected sales of 2 million audiobooks at US$24.99 each.
Paramount sold Simon & Schuster in October 2023 to private equity firm KKR for US$1.62 billion in cash.
The case is Trump v Simon & Schuster Inc et al, US District Court, Southern District of New York, No. 23-06883.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
23 minutes ago
- The Star
Yinson Production loan buyout done
PETALING JAYA: Yinson Production has successfully completed the buy-out of the project loan related to floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) Atlanta from Brava Energia S.A. In a statement, the comprehensive FPSO solutions provider said at the time of the completion of the transaction, the principal amount outstanding under the project loan was approximately US$408.8mil (RM1.7bil), for which the company paid a total cash consideration of US$255.5mil plus US$1.9mil in accrued interest. 'The transaction was funded with cash on hand and the company expects to raise new debt financing for the FPSO in the future,' it said. Yinson Production acquired FPSO Atlanta from Brava through a purchase option in 2023, partly funded by the project loan provided by Brava.
The Star
42 minutes ago
- The Star
Trump plans to meet with Putin as soon as next week, New York Times reports
FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Donald Trump and Russia's President Vladimir Putin talk during the family photo session at the APEC Summit in Danang, Vietnam November 11, 2017. REUTERS/Jorge Silva/File Photo WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump plans to meet in person with Russian President Vladimir Putin as early as next week, the New York Times reported on Wednesday, citing two people familiar with the plan. Trump then plans to meet with Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, the newspaper reported, adding that the plans were disclosed in a call with European leaders on Wednesday. The White House did not immediately respond to the report but earlier on Wednesday Trump acknowledged that he spoke with European leaders after U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff's "highly productive" meeting with Putin in Russia. While noting that "great progress" was made during the meeting, Trump wrote on Truth Social: "Everyone agrees this War must come to a close, and we will work towards that in the days and weeks to come." Trump, who promised to end Russia's war in Ukraine on "day one" during his presidential campaign, has held several phone calls with Putin and has met with Zelenskiy since returning to the White House in January. However, in recent weeks, he has become increasingly frustrated with Moscow over a lack of progress towards ending the three-year conflict. (Reporting by Jasper Ward and Andrea Shalal, Editing by Franklin Paul)
The Star
an hour ago
- The Star
Zelenskiy says Russia seems more inclined now to a ceasefire
FILE PHOTO: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy speaks during a press conference on the first day of the two-day Ukraine Recovery Conference (URC2025), on plans for the reconstruction of Ukraine, in Rome, Italy, July 10, 2025. REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane/File Photo KYIV (Reuters) -Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Wednesday that Russia seemed "more inclined" to a ceasefire, but details of a potential deal are of great significance and neither Ukraine nor the U.S. should be deceived by Moscow. President Donald Trump said his special envoy Steve Witkoff's meeting with Russian leader Vladimir Putin on Wednesday delivered "great progress," but Trump gave no specifics. Following the meeting, Zelenskiy had a call with Trump, joined by European allies. "Ukraine will definitely defend its independence. We all need a lasting and reliable peace. Russia must end the war that it itself started," Zelenskiy said on X. Trump, who has signalled frustration with Putin in recent weeks and has given the Russian president until Friday to make peace with Ukraine or face tougher sanctions, hailed Witkoff's visit as highly productive. But a White House official said the secondary sanctions that Trump has threatened against countries doing business with Russia were still expected to be implemented on Friday. An executive order introducing additional 25% tariffs on India for Russian oil imports was signed on Wednesday. "The pressure on (Russia) works. But the main thing is that they do not deceive us in the details – neither us nor the U.S.," Zelenskiy said. Ukraine has repeatedly called for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire. Russia, which now controls about a fifth of Ukrainian territory and proceeds with its advances on the eastern front, rejected the idea. National security advisers from Ukraine and allied nations were to meet soon to work out a "joint stance", Zelenskiy added. (Reporting by Yuliia Dysa; Editing by Leslie Adler)
