Pharrell Williams sent Donald Trump a cease and desist letter after the President’s team played the song ‘Happy’ at a rally just hours after the Pittsburgh synagogue massacre.
The triple-platinum selling hit was played at a rally in Indiana just hours after deranged gunman Robert Bowers, 56, shot and killed 11 people and injured six more at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh on Saturday.
Now the singer has expressed his anger over the decision and his lawyer has sent a cease and desist letter to Trump requesting that the song not be played at any future events.
“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,” writes attorney Howard King in the letter. “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.”
King continues to say Williams has not and will not grant Trump permission to publicly perform or otherwise disseminate his music, and claims the use of “Happy” without his consent constitutes both copyright and trademark infringement.
Although the circumstances are gravely different here, this isn’t the first time Trump has received a cease and desist from a musician. Steven Tyler has repeatedly protested Trump’s use of Aerosmith’s music at his events, and others who have made similar complaints include Prince’s estate, R.E.M., Queen and the filmmakers of Air Force One.
Trump was also hit with another class action lawsuit last week for allegedly tricking consumers into investing in companies that he was paid to endorse — including one that was featured twice on The Celebrity Apprentice.
Trump, along with his three oldest children, is being sued for racketeering, unfair competition and fraud, among other claims.
“The Trumps conned each of these victims into giving up hundreds or thousands of dollars — losses that may experienced as devastating and life-altering,” writes attorney Robbie Kaplan in the 164-page complaint.
“Surely the Trumps dismissed these amounts (and the lives they wrecked) as trivial. But by defrauding so many for so long, the Trumps made millions.”