Neil Young

Luxury brand Chrome Hearts sued Neil Young, his musicians and his company, arguing that the name Neil Young and the Chrome Hearts infringed its trademark rights and created a likelihood of confusion.

Attribution

Accused

Young announced in autumn 2025, and reaffirmed in January 2026, the withdrawal of his catalogue from Amazon Music, citing Jeff Bezos' support for Donald Trump and his opposition to administration policies, particularly concerning ICE. In the same context, he offered Greenland's residents free access to his music archives in response to US threats against the territory.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Directly implicated

Young announced his withdrawal from Glastonbury 2025, claiming that the festival now appeared to be subject to excessive corporate control by the BBC. A few days later, he reversed his decision.

Attribution

Directly implicated

Young withdrew his catalogue from Spotify in 2022 to protest against Joe Rogan content that he considered to spread Covid-19 misinformation. He returned to Spotify in 2024.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Directly implicated

Young opposed the use of his songs at Donald Trump events. In 2020, he brought a copyright action against the campaign for using Rockin' in the Free World and Devil's Sidewalk.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Protagonist is the complainant

Young was targeted by a boycott campaign, notably involving Roger Waters, following the announcement of a Tel Aviv concert. The concert was ultimately cancelled as rockets were being fired from Gaza and organisers cited safety concerns.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Directly implicated

Young announced a boycott of Starbucks, accusing the company of being linked to legal action aimed at preventing GMO labelling in Vermont.

State of the evidence

Denied by the person

Attribution

Personally implicated

Young released Living With War, including Let's Impeach the President, a direct attack on George W. Bush and the Iraq War. The project sparked intense political debate and hostile reactions among some audience members and commentators.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Personally implicated

The satirical video This Note's for You attacked the commercialisation of music and parodied Michael Jackson and various brands. MTV initially refused to air it before reversing its decision; the video subsequently won Video of the Year at the MTV VMAs.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Directly implicated

Geffen Records took the unusual step of suing Young, accusing him of delivering albums considered musically uncharacteristic and uncommercial. Young countersued, seeking substantial damages among other remedies.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Directly implicated

Young surprised some of his audience by expressing sympathy for Ronald Reagan on certain issues. During the same period, he made press comments about AIDS that are now considered homophobic and stigmatising.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Personally implicated

The songs Southern Man and Alabama condemned racism and segregation in the southern United States but were also criticised for their generalising tone. Lynyrd Skynyrd's Sweet Home Alabama explicitly responded to Young.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Directly implicated