The rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer, Pharrell Williams is not happy with the president. President Trump played Williams’ “Happy” at a rally. The rally was held Saturday, just hours after a gunman killed 11 people at a synagogue in Pittsburg.
The shooting happened earlier Saturday, Oct. 27. Eleven people were killed and six more were seriously injured at the Tree of Life synagogue. Among the six that were injured, four of them were police officers and the other two were worshipers.
The musician has expressed displeasure through his lawyer, Howard King. King has sent a cease-and-desist letter to the president on Monday stating that Williams did not grant the president and his team to use the song during his rally in Illinois.
Williams’ attorney also claims that the use of the song “Happy” without Williams consent constitutes both copyrights and trademarks infringements. The violation of Williams’ trademark rights is under the Lanham Act. The Lanham Act protects the artist from the trademark dilution through its unauthorized use.
There have been countless times that other artists have demanded Trump to stop using certain songs of theirs. Steven Tyler, Prince’s estate, R.E.M, and Queen are some artists who have demanded that Trump stop using their songs.
