'Peanuts' music owner files 4 lawsuits over 'Charlie Brown' tunes
The owner of the "Peanuts" television and film music catalog is suing multiple entities over the alleged unlawful use of jazz artist Vince Guaraldi's famous tracks from the "Charlie Brown" franchise.
Lee Mendelson Film Productions filed four federal copyright lawsuits "to protect the iconic compositions and arrangements" of Guaraldi on Wednesday, May 20, according to a press release from the Law Offices of Marc Jacobson.
The production company is owned by the family of Lee Mendelson, who was the executive producer of the many "Peanuts" specials before his death in 2019 and collaborated closely with Guaraldi, along with cartoonist Charles Schulz and animator Bill Melendez to bring "Charlie Brown" to life.
The lawsuits, filed in New York and Washington, D.C., allege that Buckle‑Down, Inc., Heritage Auctions, GameMill Entertainment and the U.S. Department of the Interior participated in the unauthorized commercial use of copyrighted content, including beloved songs "Linus and Lucy," "Skating" and "O Tannenbaum" in "A Charlie Brown Christmas." The filing attorneys stated in the release that the legal actions "are intended to halt a pattern of infringement that threatens to diminish and distort the identity of these and other protected works."
The case against GameMill, which licensed the "Peanuts" visual and character rights, alleges that the video game publisher created music "substantially similar to" Guaraldi's for their "Snoopy & The Great Mystery Club" game, according to the filing obtained by USA TODAY.
Because GameMill obtained licensing rights from Peanuts Worldwide LLC to use visuals of related characters but opted to mimic Mendelson production-owned sound, the suit alleges the company's goal was that users "would not even realize that they were hearing anything other than the Guaraldi Compositions, and perhaps even believe themselves to be hearing the actual 'Peanuts' recordings."
Two other filings obtained by USA TODAY against apparel manufacturer Buckle‑Down, Inc., and collectibles marketplace Heritage Auctions allege that both used Guaraldi's music in social media ads that were allegedly "specifically created to and did drive consumer traffic and sales" for "Peanuts"-based products.
The suit against the Department of the Interior says Guaraldi's arrangement of "O Tannenbaum" was used "in a widely distributed, animated digital Christmas greeting" in December.
Heritage Auctions told USA TODAY in a statement that the company "has not been served with or reviewed the complaint. If and when we receive it, we will review the allegations and respond as appropriate." The Department of the Interior declined to comment.
USA TODAY has reached out to Buckle-Down, Inc., and GameMill Entertainment for comment.
In the press release, lead attorney Marc Jacobson said that the production company is taking a stand for "the rights of creators and the protection of iconic cultural assets." He added that "unauthorized use doesn't just violate the law, it erodes the exclusivity and artistic integrity that make these compositions meaningful to generations of fans."