Owner of 'Peanuts' music sues Trump administration for using scores without permission

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: The Independent

Thursday 21 May 2026 08:20 EDT


The owner of the music used in “Peanuts” television specials has filed lawsuits against several defendants, including the Trump administration, alleging that it illegally used the tunes in social media posts and a game.

Lee Mendelson Film Productions, which owns the copyright to “A Charlie Brown Christmas” and other shows, filed the suits in federal courts in New York and Washington, D.C. Wednesday.

One lawsuit argues the Interior Department did not have permission to use pianist Vince Guaraldi's arrangement of "O Tannenbaum" from "A Charlie Brown Christmas" in a digital holiday card posted to social media. The Independent has contacted the Interior Department for comment on the lawsuit.

Lee Mendelson Film Productions, which is based in California, was founded by and is named for the producer who collaborated with “Peanuts” creator Charles Schulz and director Bill Melendez to create the TV specials based on Schulz’s iconic comic strip. This began starting with “A Charlie Brown Christmas” in 1965.

Read more: https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/peanuts-music-trump-administration-lawsuit-b2981141.html

[hlthe2b]

1. Neither Vince Guaraldi's estate, the production company for the Peanuts specials or especially

the Charles Schultz estate would be a group I'd want to cross on a copyright violation--especially the latter. They have enough "eyes" to scour properties on the internet and beyond and are relentless. Good for them. I would be too if I had rights to those properties and creative endeavors.

[Talitha]

2. Thanks for this info - - good to know.

Hopefully they'll collect - and then some.

[BigmanPigman]

3. I have The Peanuts music on my YouTube history account...

?si=w6R-cDmUY4x0_-yP

I love them dancing and singing. I'm going to include it in my own, personal list of music to dance to when tRump dies. I have a loooong list of celebratory song⁹s.

?si=hXRx-Z9NRE-BAKJp

[BumRushDaShow]

4. I have the Vince Guarldi (digital) album

But I also have what is cute and hilarious (but for charity) are the vinyls of "A Philly Special Christmas", done by 3 Eagles - Lane Johnson, Jordon Mailata, and Jason Kelce -





(they recorded 2 more that I bought)

[BigmanPigman]

5. Do NOT sell them...EVER!

I have "Christmas with the Chipmunks, Alvin, Simon and Theodore with David Seville" copyright 1962 that was my parents' record and you couldn't pry that out of my dead hands! That's the year I was born.

[intrepidity]

7. Oh man, how I remember that album

"Alvin. Alvin! ALVIN!!"

"Christmas, Christmas, dont be late..."

[BumRushDaShow]

8. I have the "The Alvin Show" record

I think my sister had this (which had their infamous Christmas song) -



I eventually got drawn to one of the reboot series (that were live action/animated films) where the son of Ross Bagdasarian (who voiced "Dave Seville" ) reprised his father's series but voicing (and singing as) "Alvin". They updated to "Hip Hop".

[Rhiannon12866]

6. And I was Charlie Brown when we did the Christmas play at my school!

Of course that was because I went to an all-girls school, established 1879!