Singer/songwriter and longtime liberal activist has sued Senator John McCain and the Republican National Committee. The move is in response to a recent TV commercial supporting McCain's presidential bid that incorporates the Browne signature song "Running on Empty.

The suit, filed in United States District Court in Los Angeles, alleges that McCain and the RNC did not obtain a license for the use of the song in a television commercial, which mocks presumptive Democratic nominee Barack Obama for suggesting that Americans conserve gas through proper tire inflation.

In addition to the copyright infringement claim, the suit alleges that because the song is closely identified with Browne, McCain and the RNC violated the United States Lanham Act by falsely suggesting that Browne endorses McCain candidacy.

"Not only have Senator McCain and his agents plainly infringed Mr. Browne's copyright in 'Running On Empty,' but the Federal Courts have long held that the unauthorized use of a famous singer's voice in a commercial constitutes a false endorsement and a violation of the singer's right of publicity," Lawrence Iser of the Santa Monica, California law firm Kinsella Weitzman Iser Kump & Aldisert said. "In light of Jackson Browne [ tickets ]'s lifelong commitment to Democratic ideals and political candidates, the misappropriation of Jackson Browne's endorsement is entirely reprehensible, and I have no doubt that a jury will agree."