Pharrell Sends President Trump Cease and Desist Over “Happy” Use at Rallies

Trump played the R&B hit at rally on Saturday, hours after Pittsburgh synagogue shooting left 11 dead.

Pharrell
Pharrell is not "Happy" with President Trump. (Paul Archuleta/FilmMagic)
FilmMagic

Pharrell Williams is really not happy Trump is using one of his songs at his rallies.

Williams had his lawyer send the president an official cease and desist letter  over the musician’s popular, cheery song, “Happy.” Trump reportedly played the song at a Saturday event just hours after a mass shooting at a Pittsburgh synagogue left 11 people dead.

“Pharrell has not, and will not, grant you permission to publicly perform or otherwise broadcast or disseminate any of his music,” the singer’s lawyer, Howard King, wrote in a cease and desist letter sent to Trump on Monday, Time reported.

“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,” the letter reads. “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 says that using Pharrell’s song without consent amounts to copyright and trademark infringement.

The music producer is not the first to demand Trump stop playing his music at rallies — The Rolling Stones, Adele and Queen have all made similar requests stemming from their political disagreements with the president.

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