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ABC/Adam RosePharrell Williams has sent a cease and desist letter to President Trump, demanding that he to stop using his Grammy-winning song “Happy” during his events.
The song was played Saturday at an Indiana political rally, just hours after 11 people were killed in the Tree of Life synagogue shooting in Pittsburgh.
“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,” Pharrell’s attorney, Howard King, wrote in the letter, according to The Hollywood Reporter. “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 added that Pharrell has not and will not grant the president permission to use his music, and says playing “Happy” without his consent was a copyright and trademark infringement.
From the 2013 Despicable Me 2 soundtrack, “Happy” was certified 10-times platinum and won Grammy Awards for Best Music Video and Best Pop Solo Performance. It was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song.
This certainly isn’t the first time a musical artist has demanded President Trump stop using their songs at his rallies. Prince‘s estate made a similar demand, as have rockers including Aerosmith and Queen.
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