Songwriters Andres del Castillo and Marcello Cesare,
former members of the now-defunct Ottawa-based pop band
Eight Seconds, "claim the Senators violated the copyright on
the tune they wrote for the team" in '92 and "have launched
a lawsuit" against the Senators over the "alleged misuse" of
the theme music, called "Trumpeter's Cry," according to Glen
McGregor of the OTTAWA CITIZEN. The tune's "trumpet
flourish introduction and rousing refrain 'Let's Go,
Senators,'" is a "staple at home games and often plays
during the warm-up skate" before the second period. The
copyright infringement claim states that the Senators "have
been illegally using the ditty" on CD-ROMs, in a computer
screensaver and on the team's Web site. Through their
company, Leopold Music, del Castillo and Cesare licensed the
song to the Senators "in perpetuity" for a $9,000 fee. The
license agreement states that the songwriters "maintained
their ownership of copyright on the song" and re-recording
it "in any form was strictly prohibited." The team declined
comment on the lawsuit (OTTAWA CITIZEN, 8/23).
