'Irreparable Harm': Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Owners Sue My Chemical Romance Over Stage Costumes

The company behind the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders has asked a California court to urgently block rock band My Chemical Romance from using dancers in lookalike uniforms on stage, warning the costumes risk causing 'irreparable harm' to its globally recognised brand.

Pro Silver Star Ltd applied for a temporary restraining order and temporary injunction after the band's 'Black Parade' show at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles on 21 October, according to court documents seen by TheWrap. It is also seeking unspecified monetary damages. The allegations have not been tested in court.

The band has not publicly responded. A representative did not immediately reply to TheWrap's request for comment, and no statement has appeared on the group's official channels.

What the Legal Filing Claims

The filing says that during a segment of the show set in Draag, a fictional authoritarian state, female performers appeared in what the company calls the 'DCC Uniform'. They then took part in a staged firefight with rifles before being depicted as shot.

Pro Silver Star argues the outfits were close enough to the Cowboys Cheerleaders' blue and white kit that audience members and online commentators believed they were watching the real squad. It says social media posts to that effect continue to circulate.

The company says it has 'regularly monitored and policed' unauthorised use of the uniform for more than 50 years. It regards the outfit as protectable trade dress, a distinctive commercial look that others may not use without permission.

Company Says Costume Request Was Refused

Pro Silver Star says it first tried to resolve the matter without litigation. It claims it contacted the band after the Hollywood Bowl show and asked them to stop using the uniforms for the remaining dates, but that the request was refused. The band's members, Gerard Way, Mikey Way, Frank Iero and Ray Toro, are named as defendants.

Lawyers for the company stress it does not object to the band's music, setlist, narrative, politics or choreography, or to the use of gun-carrying performers. It asks only that the dancers do not wear the uniform, noting that the range of alternative costume designs is 'effectively unlimited'.

The company argues that each further performance in the disputed costume risks confusing more fans and damaging the reputation and goodwill built up around the brand.

In its application, Pro Silver Star is asking the court to bar further use of the contested outfits while the case proceeds, saying interim relief is necessary to prevent any additional alleged confusion or harm before a full hearing can be held.

Hollywood Bowl 'Black Parade' Residency

The Hollywood Bowl shows form a five-night residency marking 20 years since the release of the band's album The Black Parade. The production is staged as a dystopian rock opera, with a fictional dictatorship, mock news bulletins and pyrotechnics.

According to previous coverage of the tour, the residency is part of a wider anniversary run in which the album is performed in full, with repeat use of characters, costumes and story elements across multiple dates.

No ruling on the application has been reported.