MGMT's Andrew Van Wyngarden has spoken about the band's dispute with French President Nicolas Sarkozy, whose party used one of their tracks without permission.

The American group have threatened to sue Sarkozy's UMP party after they admitted using 'Kids' at national congress and twice in online campaign videos.

The party offered to pay MGMT one euro compensation – a gesture described as “insulting” and “disrespectful of the rights of artists and authors” by the band's French lawyer.

Speaking to BBC 6Music, Wyngarden said the party's decision to use the song “struck us as a little odd”.

But he added: “There’s kind of weird things happening, but somehow we’re influencing French politics. That’s cool.”

It's understood that the UMP paid the standard 53 euro fee to the French music licensing body in order to use the track.

But the band's lawyer claims the sum was not enough to cover the song's appearance in the online campaign videos.

Wyngarden said he believed the party may have used the song after the group appeared on France's TV variety show dressed “as pilgrims and like, had a Thai masseuse”.

His bandmate, Ben Goldwasser, added: “If that’s the image that they want to be promoting that’s actually maybe a good thing, it might be a nice change.”

The disagreement coincides with the UMP's attempts to pass a law which will impose tougher penalties on file-sharers.

(by Jason Gregory)