Pharrell Williams was not too happy to hear that Donald Trump played his hit song "Happy" at a rally, hours after the mass shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh on Saturday (October 27).
The respected musician and producer wasted no time turning his anger into action as he had his lawyer, Howard King, send Trump a cease and desist letter to ensure his music is no longer associated with the controversial president. "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," read the letter, shared via 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."
The letter additionally states that Pharrell has zero plans to ever grant Trump permission to use his music. The "Lemon" rapper claims that if Trump uses "Happy" without his consent moving forward it will constitute both copyright and trademark infringement.
Pharrell isn't the first artist to protest Trump's choice in music. Back in August, Aerosmith sent Trump a cease and desist letter when they discovered that he'd used their song "Livin' on the Edge" during a West Virginia rally. According to Complex, the band's letter, which was sent through frontman Steven Tyler's attorney Dina Lapolt, claimed that Trump's use of the song violated the Lanham Act, a law that prohibits "any false designation or misleading description or representation of fact … likely to cause confusion … as to the affiliation, connection, or association of such person with another person."
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