Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Owner Seeks Court Order Against My Chemical Romance Costumes
Pro Silver Star Ltd., the company that owns the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders brand, has asked a court to stop My Chemical Romance from using the squad's costumes on stage. The company has filed for a temporary restraining order and an injunction. The first is a short court order that pauses an activity while a case is heard. The second is a longer order that keeps it stopped.
The request follows a Hollywood Bowl engagement that ran as a five-night residency in Los Angeles, according to Consequence. Pro Silver Star says it first asked the band to stop what it calls infringing use of the DCC Uniform, and the band refused. A cease-and-desist letter, a formal written demand to stop, was sent to the band on October 22.
According to the legal documents, My Chemical Romance changed its performance of "Teenagers" at the Hollywood Bowl to include dancers in Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders outfits. In a staged firefight, the dancers armed themselves with rifles and were shown being shot. The legal action states that audience members and online commentators believed the performers were the real squad.
The claim turns on how the costumes looked to people in the seats and watching online. A trademark dispute usually asks whether a reasonable viewer could mistake one thing for another, and the filing says that happened here.
The band's staging and the squad's branding are now in front of a judge. Any decision on the temporary restraining order and the injunction will decide whether the costumes can be worn on stage while the case continues.
