Peanuts music owner sues government, retailers and game maker over Guaraldi tunes

Lee Mendelson Film Productions filed four federal lawsuits in New York and Washington, D.C., accusing the U.S. Interior Department, Heritage Auctions, Buckle-Down, and GameMill Entertainment of using Vince Guaraldi’s Peanuts music without licenses—from a digital Christmas card and social posts to an auction promo and the 2025 video game Snoopy & The Great Mystery Club—seeking damages (at least $300,000 from GameMill) and injunctions; a separate claim targets new compositions intended to evoke Guaraldi’s Linus and Lucy and Skating; Peanuts Worldwide is not a party to the suits.