A federal judge in Georgia will not let President Donald Trump off the hook in a copyright infringement lawsuit filed against him by the estate of Isaac Hayes for his repeated use of the singer-songwriter’s “Hold On, I’m Coming” at his campaign rallies ahead of his election victory last year.

U.S. District Judge Thomas Thrash on Friday refused to dismiss the two primary copyright claims against Trump, but did dismiss several other claims filed against the president, giving him and his campaign a minor victory in the legal battle that will continue to move forward.

The judge also dismissed Turning Point Action, Inc., as a defendant in the case, reasoning that the court lacked jurisdiction over the far-right group founded by Charlie Kirk. Thrash wrote that the organization was not alleged to have engaged in copyright infringement, and that merely having “provided the third party with the opportunity to engage in wrongful conduct is insufficient to survive a motion to dismiss.”

Hayes’ estate alleged that Trump began using the song at campaign events in 2020 and continued to do so through September 2024, even after being sent a cease-and-desist letter. The campaign allegedly played the song “at least 133 times” over that span.

The president earlier this year filed court documents seeking to have him personally removed as a defendant in the lawsuit, arguing that the plaintiffs failed “to allege any infringing or tortious conduct done by him.” Thrash rejected the president’s claim, pointing directly to his alleged involvement in using Hayes’ work at the campaign events.