Pharrell Williams isn’t too happy with President Donald Trump, especially after the president played the singer’s hit song “Happy” at a rally on Saturday just hours after a gunman killed 11 people at a Pittsburgh synagogue.
After the song was played at a rally over the weekend just hours after a gunman killed 11 people at a Pittsburgh synagogue. The singer’s lawyer Howard King called on the President to stop playing the hitmaker’s song “Happy” during events.
They also sent a cease-and-desist letter to Trump on Monday saying 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 wrote 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 claims the use of “Happy” without consent constitutes both copyright and trademark infringement. King wrote:
“Pharrell has not, and will not, grant you permission to publicly perform or otherwise broadcast or disseminate any of his music.”
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.”
This is not the first time Trump has received flak from angry musicians after using their music without permission. The Rolling Stones, The O’Jays, Adele, Queen, and several others have asked Trump to stop using their music as well.
