Owner of 'Peanuts' music sues 3 companies and US government alleging illegal use of its catchy tunes
The company says the defendants used Vince Guaraldi’s Peanuts music without permission, with one social media card viewed millions of times.
- On Wednesday, Lee Mendelson Film Productions filed four copyright lawsuits in New York and Washington, D.C., alleging unauthorized use of Vince Guaraldi's iconic Peanuts music by multiple defendants.
- Founded in 1965, Lee Mendelson Film Productions holds rights to Guaraldi's jazz compositions created through collaboration between producer Lee Mendelson, Peanuts creator Charles Schulz, and director Bill Melendez.
- The complaints allege GameMill Entertainment used unlicensed, copycat music in its 2025 video game Snoopy & The Great Mystery Club, while the Interior Department purportedly used an unauthorized arrangement of Tannenbaum in social media holiday cards.
- Two additional lawsuits target Buckle-Down Inc. and Heritage Auctions for allegedly using the Peanuts theme Linus and Lucy in promotional advertisements on Facebook and Instagram.
- Attorney Marc Jacobson stated the firm seeks at least $300,000 from GameMill and court injunctions, saying they will "no longer tolerate companies using their property without a license.
49 Articles
49 Articles
Owner of Peanuts Music Gets Litigious
The owner of the music of A Charlie Brown Christmas and other Peanuts television specials filed four lawsuits Wednesday against defendants including the US Department of the Interior, alleging they illegally used the jazzy ditties of pianist Vince Guaraldi in social media posts and a video game. Lee Mendelson Film...
The lively and jazzy tunes by pianist Vince Guaraldi are musical hallmarks of the »Peanuts« TV specials. The US Interior Ministry used them illegally for a social media greeting card. Now there is trouble.
The Toronto Star
Owner of ‘Peanuts’ music sues 3 companies and US government alleging illegal use of its catchy tunes
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The owner of the music of “A Charlie Brown Christmas” and other “Peanuts” television specials filed four lawsuits Wednesday against defendants including the U.S. Department of the Interior, alleging they illegally used the jazzy ditties of…
Associated Press News
Owner of 'Peanuts' music sues 3 companies and US government alleging illegal use of its catchy tunes
The owner of the music of “A Charlie Brown Christmas” and other “Peanuts” television specials filed four lawsuits Wednesday over what they say is the illegal use of the jazzy piano tunes of Vince Guaraldi.
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