Pharrell Williams sends Trump cease-and-desist letter
Pharrell Williams isn't pleased President Trump played the singer's upbeat song, 'Happy,' at a rally just hours after a gunman killed 11 people at a Pittsburgh synagogue.
Pharrell Williams isn’t happy President Trump played the singer’s upbeat song at a rally Saturday just hours after a gunman killed 11 people at a Pittsburgh synagogue.
Williams’ lawyer Howard King sent a cease-and-desist letter to Trump Monday that said the singer did not grant the president’s team permission to use the song “Happy” at Saturday’s rally in Illinois. King said playing the hit song when nearly a dozen people were murdered at a Pittsburgh synagogue earlier in the day was distasteful.
"On the day of the mass murder of 11 human beings at the hands of a deranged 'nationalist,' you played his song 'Happy' to a crowd at a political event in Indiana," King, on behalf of Williams, wrote in the letter obtained by Fox News. "There was nothing 'happy' about the tragedy inflicted upon our country on Saturday and no permission was granted for your use of this song for this purpose."
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Six others, including four police officers, were wounded in the mass shooting. It was one of the deadliest attacks on Jews in U.S. history.
The lawyer said Williams is the owner of the track’s copyright.
Singer Pharrell Williams' lawyer sent President Trump a cease-and-desist letter overuse of the hit song "Happy" at a rally. (AP/Getty Images)
“Pharrell has not, and will not, grant you [Trump] permission to publicly perform or otherwise broadcast or disseminate any of his music,” King wrote, adding that using “Happy” without permission is copyright infringement.
“Demand is hereby made that you cease-and-desist from any further unauthorized use of Pharrell Williams’ music,” the letter concluded.
This isn’t the first time a musician has demanded Trump to stop using certain songs.
Steven Tyler, Prince’s estate, R.E.M. and Queen also demanded Trump stop using their songs at events.
Tyler sent three cease-and-desist letters to Trump — two in 2015 for “Dream On” and one this August for “Livin’ on the Edge.”
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