Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Drop My Chemical Romance Trademark Suit

By Marcus Bennett

The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders formally dismissed their lawsuit against My Chemical Romance on Monday, ending a trademark fight over the band's use of lookalike uniforms at its Hollywood Bowl concerts on Oct. 21, 23 and 24.

The dismissals, filed in Texas federal court, came after the band finished its final shows celebrating the 20th anniversary of its 2006 album The Black Parade, whose anniversary reissue reached the top of the Billboard 200.

The cheer squad and its lawyers claimed they had extracted a concession from My Chemical Romance to stop wearing the DCC uniform. Live Nation, in a Monday filing responding to the dismissals, called that account a twisting of the facts. The promoter said it was the only defendant formally served with the lawsuit, and that neither it nor the band had made any such concession. Instead, it said the squad and its parent company, Pro Silver Star, were told more than a week before the suit was filed that the costumes had already been retired and would never be used again.

What does the dismissal actually change?

Not much, according to Live Nation. The company's position remains that the uniforms appeared in a satirical rock opera protected by the First Amendment, and it says the band still contests infringement.

"There is no merit to plaintiff's assertions that an agreement was reached between the parties to discontinue the performances," Live Nation's filing states. "My Chemical Romance's performances of the third part of the rock opera ended October 24, 2026, not because of any agreement, but because they were always scheduled to end that day."

In its lawsuit filed last month, the cheer squad claimed knockoff versions of its signature blue-and-white uniforms were used without authorization during a mock gun battle onstage. The suit argued the costumes infringed the squad's protectable trade dress and "degraded" the DCC brand, and its lawyers sought an emergency restraining order ahead of two further shows set for Oct. 30 and 31.

The First Amendment fight that never reached court

In a filing last Friday, Live Nation and its lawyers defended the uniforms as "artistic expression" and accused Pro Silver Star of trying "to use trademark law to line edit theatrical staging at a Los Angeles concert." They called the performance a "successful parody" in which no viewers believed the dancers were real Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders.

"Recognition is not confusion," the Friday filing said. "Observers understood the performance as an allusive, exaggerated, theatrical reference within a My Chemical Romance show."

No lawyer for the band appeared at what was expected to be a courtroom showdown last week. A note on the docket in Collin County, Texas, said an agreement had been reached. Live Nation's lawyers said My Chemical Romance was never served, so it had no obligation to appear.

"In sum, neither Live Nation nor My Chemical Romance ever agreed to alter any of the planned shows in response to plaintiff's lawsuit, nor do they concede any of their defenses to the claims in this lawsuit," the Monday filing argues. Live Nation submitted it after seeking to move the case to federal court last week.

The lawsuit itself framed the stakes in terms of brand identity. DCC said its brand was built on "dedication, character, and community, and on decades of entertaining American troops," and argued the Hollywood Bowl show, where performers were "shown shooting and being shot," did not fit its wholesome image.

Lawyers for DCC did not respond to multiple requests for comment, including on Monday.

My Chemical Romance opens the Asian leg of its tour on Nov. 7 in South Korea, with dates to follow in Singapore, the Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia. Whether the cheer squad refiles or lets the matter rest, Live Nation's filing leaves the trademark questions raised by the case unanswered rather than settled.