Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders' Brand Owner Sues My Chemical Romance Over Lookalike Uniforms at Hollywood Bowl Show
Pro Silver Star Ltd., the owner of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders brand, has asked a court for a temporary restraining order and a temporary injunction to stop rock band My Chemical Romance from using costumes closely resembling the cheerleaders' signature uniform in its shows. According to TheWrap's October 24 report, the filing accuses the band of degrading the cheerleaders' brand; the company, represented by attorney Alex Spiro, brought the action in Dallas and is also seeking unspecified monetary damages.
The dispute stems from the opening night of the band's 'The Black Parade' residency at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles on October 21. The filing says the show is a theatrical production set in a fictional dictatorship, featuring pyrotechnics and armed conflict, and that during 'Teenagers,' female dancers took the stage in the cheerleaders' uniform and 'then armed themselves with rifles in a staged firefight, only to be depicted being shot.' The filing says audience members and online commentators 'understandably believed that the performers were the real Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders,' and that such posts continue to circulate on social media.
Pro Silver Star says it first sent the band a cease-and-desist letter on October 22, but the band refused to stop using the uniforms. 'Silver Star is not litigious, and it takes no issue with MCR's music, its artistic ambitions, or any message Defendants seek to convey,' the filing says. 'Silver Star does not ask Defendants to change their setlist, narrative, politics, choreography, or even their decision to put gun-toting performers on stage. Silver Star asks only that those performers not wear the DCC Uniform while doing it. The universe of alternative costume designs is effectively unlimited.' The filing also argues that the uniform is protectable trade dress under a federal registration that no one may use without permission, and says the brand has invested for more than half a century in the uniform's recognizability.
My Chemical Romance consists of Gerard Way, Ray Toro, Mikey Way and Frank Iero; a representative for the band did not immediately respond to TheWrap's request for comment. Rolling Stone reported that the costumed dancers returned for the band's Friday-night Hollywood Bowl performance. The residency runs five sold-out shows, and whether a court rules on the emergency request before it ends will decide whether the costumes can appear in the remaining performances. (GSM, from TheWrap and New York Post reporting)
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Photo: 演出场馆 Hollywood Bowl（资料图）。照片：Thank You (22 Millions+) views，CC BY 2.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / The Hollywood Bowl concert venue (file photo). Photo: Thank You (22 Millions+) views, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
