Lee Mendelson Film Productions, the company that controls publishing rights to Vince Guaraldi's music for the Peanuts franchise, has resolved two lawsuits over the unauthorized use of its music on social media. The settlements announced Monday end disputes with collectibles manufacturer Buckle-Down Inc. and the U.S. Department of the Interior, both sued as part of a series of copyright cases filed in May.
Buckle-Down agreed to pay $27,500 to resolve claims that it used Guaraldi's "Linus and Lucy" in Instagram and TikTok advertisements for Peanuts-branded merchandise without securing a synchronization license. The Interior Department agreed to pay $20,000 over its use of Guaraldi's arrangement of "O Tannenbaum" from "A Charlie Brown Christmas" in a digital holiday greeting posted on social media.
A synchronization license generally gives permission to pair copyrighted music with visual content, including advertisements and videos. Permission to use Peanuts characters or branding does not automatically provide rights to Guaraldi's music, which is controlled separately.
Buckle-Down also signed a permanent injunction on July 31 barring the company from future unlicensed use of the Peanuts music catalog. The agreement with the Interior Department, finalized Aug. 3, establishes a process for Lee Mendelson Film Productions to notify the Justice Department if it believes the federal government uses the catalog without permission again.
The company also announced that sleepwear brand BedHead and collectibles marketer Beast Kingdom separately negotiated licensing agreements involving the Guaraldi catalog. Neither company had been sued, and the financial terms of those agreements were not disclosed.
Marc Jacobson, an attorney representing Lee Mendelson Film Productions, said the settlements were part of the company's broader effort to enforce licensing requirements for commercial use of the music. He said businesses and government agencies should secure written licenses before using Guaraldi's work rather than resolve infringement claims afterward.
The enforcement campaign also drew attention from Stephen Colbert, who referenced the disputes during the final episode of "The Late Show" and performed "Linus and Lucy" while joking about whether the segment would cost CBS money. The network later entered into a licensing agreement with Lee Mendelson Film Productions, with proceeds from the agreement donated to World Central Kitchen.
The settlements follow four copyright lawsuits Lee Mendelson Film Productions filed in May against Buckle-Down, the Interior Department, video game publisher GameMill Entertainment and Heritage Auctions. The cases accused the defendants of using Guaraldi's music, or music allegedly derived from his compositions, without permission. The lawsuits against GameMill and Heritage Auctions remain pending
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