My Chemical Romance face legal action from Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders over Hollywood Bowl costumes
My Chemical Romance are facing legal action from Pro Silver Star, the company that owns the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders brand, over dancers wearing lookalike uniforms during the band’s Hollywood Bowl shows. The company has asked a Texas court to stop the band using the costumes, arguing that their appearance in a staged gunfight could harm the cheerleaders’ reputation.
The dancers appeared during ‘Teenagers’ and later took part in a scene with prop rifles during ‘Disenchanted’. Pro Silver Star says viewers mistook them for the real squad, that the band declined a request to stop using the uniforms, and that the continued use risks lasting damage to its brand; it is also seeking unspecified damages. The costumes reportedly appeared again at the second show, while two more performances are scheduled for 30 and 31 October.
In short
- Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders’ owner seeks to stop use of lookalike uniforms.
- The costumes featured in a staged gunfight during My Chemical Romance’s shows.
- The company says viewers confused the dancers with the real squad.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Pro Silver Star can argue that recognisable uniforms are valuable brand identifiers, and that audiences could mistake the performers for the real cheerleaders. Pairing that imagery with a staged gunfight may create an unwanted association that harms the squad’s reputation, so seeking an injunction and damages is a reasonable way to protect its brand and control how it is represented.
The case against
My Chemical Romance can argue that the costumes are part of a theatrical performance, using familiar cultural imagery to tell a story rather than claiming the dancers are the real cheerleaders. Restricting that use could limit artistic expression, particularly where the uniforms are being used in a staged work and the band disputes the request to stop; any remedy should weigh the likelihood of genuine confusion or lasting harm against that expressive interest.
Explained simply
My Chemical Romance are a US rock band known for theatrical performances, while the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders are a professional dance squad associated with the American football team. Their distinctive uniforms are part of a brand owned by Pro Silver Star, a company that manages the squad’s commercial rights.
The dispute concerns dancers dressed in outfits resembling those uniforms during My Chemical Romance’s staged show at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles. Pro Silver Star says the resemblance could lead audiences to think the dancers are the real cheerleaders, and argues that linking the outfits to a scene involving prop rifles could affect the squad’s reputation.
The case raises questions about who can use a recognisable costume design and how its use may affect a brand. It also involves the balance between a company’s control of its branding and performers’ use of visual references in a show.