CBS Secures Licensing Deal for 'Peanuts' Song Played by Stephen Colbert
CBS has reached a licensing agreement with Lee Mendelson Film Productions regarding the use of the copyrighted "Peanuts" music, "Linus and Lucy," which was played by Stephen Colbert during the final taping of The Late Show. The deal aims to resolve potential legal issues stemming from the incident. The proceeds from this agreement will be donated to World Central Kitchen, a charity led by Chef José Andrés. Lee Mendelson Film Productions, which owns the rights to the iconic "Peanuts" jazz scores, expressed its support for the charity's mission.
CBS has finalized a licensing deal with Lee Mendelson Film Productions (LMFP) to address the playing of copyrighted "Peanuts" music during the final episode of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
The agreement specifically covers the use of "Linus and Lucy," the unofficial "Peanuts" theme, which Colbert's band played on air. This resolution comes after Colbert jokingly suggested that playing the music might "cost CBS any money," during an episode that riffed on LMFP's recent legal actions concerning its intellectual property rights.
LMFP, the owner of Vince Guaraldi's jazz scores for "A Charlie Brown Christmas" and other "Peanuts" television specials, launched a legal offensive last month. The company filed four infringement lawsuits, alleging unauthorized use of its music by various entities, including a video game developer and in a Christmas card from the Department of the Interior.
The proceeds from the licensing deal between CBS and LMFP will be donated to World Central Kitchen, a charity founded by Chef José Andrés. Jason Mendelson, chairman of LMFP, stated that the group found the music's use on The Late Show "funny and entertaining" and is proud to support World Central Kitchen's mission.
A spokeswoman for CBS confirmed the agreement but declined to provide further comment. LMFP emphasized that a primary goal of its enforcement actions is to educate entities about the necessity of obtaining written license agreements for commercial music use.
(Source: Billboard)
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