Overview
- Lee Mendelson Film Productions filed four federal copyright lawsuits on Wednesday, May 20, in New York and Washington, D.C., naming the U.S. Department of the Interior, GameMill Entertainment, Heritage Auctions and Buckle‑Down Inc.
- One suit filed in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims alleges the Interior used Guaraldi’s arrangement of “O Tannenbaum” in a widely shared digital holiday card without a license.
- A separate New York complaint says GameMill’s 2025 video game Snoopy & The Great Mystery Club used new music meant to evoke Guaraldi themes such as “Linus and Lucy” and “Skating,” and Mendelson is seeking at least $300,000 from GameMill.
- Two other suits accuse Heritage Auctions and Buckle‑Down of using “Linus and Lucy” in social media posts to promote sales of Peanuts items without permission, and defendants have not publicly responded to the filings.
- Mendelson’s actions stress that music rights are distinct from Peanuts character rights and signal possible wider effects on online promotions and licensed products if courts order injunctions or damages.