Why Did Bill Murray Receive a Legal Threat From the Doobie Brothers?

In a headline seemingly uncovered from a time capsule buried in 1978, a lawyer for the Doobie Brothers is threatening Bill Murray with legal action if he doesn't pay for the unauthorized use of one of the band's old hits in a commercial for a shirt sold by his golf clothing, William Murray Golf.

"We'd almost be OK with it if the shirts weren't so damn ugly," Peter T. Paterno, the lawyer representing the group—none of whom are named "Doobie" and none of whom are brothers—wrote in a letter to the comedy legend, which was obtained by Eriq Gardner of The Hollywood Reporter and posted on his Twitter account.

Murray, of course, starred in probably the most famous golfing movie of all time, 1980's Caddyshack, in which he played a goofy groundskeeper set on destroying a pesky gofer. Since then, he's been a steady presence at celebrity golf tournaments for charity, where he often dons outrageous attire. He started the golf clothing business with his actual brothers—all of whom are named Murray—in 2017.

In one of the company's ads for a $50 polo shirt called Zero Hucks Given, the 1972 Doobie Brothers hit "Listen to the Music" is used as the soundtrack. According to Paterno, this move was not sanctioned by any member of the group. Throughout the letter, he maintained a humorous tone. For instance, he noted, "It seems like the only person who uses our clients' music without permission more than you do is Donald Trump."

Paterno continued with a dig aimed at Murray's choice to provide voice work as the title character for a certain much-maligned animated movie and its sequel: "This is the part where I'm supposed to cite the United States Copyright Act, excoriate you for not complying with some paragraph that I'm too lazy to look up and threaten you with eternal damnation for doing so. But you already earned that with those Garfield movies."

Paterno has long held ties in the music industry and represents other artists. Back in 2010, Paterno penned a cease-and-desist for Joe Walsh of the Eagles when the Tea Party politician, also named Joe Walsh, used the song "Walk Away" for his congressional campaign. Before that, according to the biography on his law firm's website, he was president of Hollywood Records and signed the band Queen.

On the golf course, at least, Paterno had a cordial experience with Murray. "He let a foursome I was in play through him once," he wrote in a recent email to The New York Times. "While we teed off, he took a nap, resting his head on the tee marker. It was pretty funny."

Murray has yet to respond to the letter. The Zero Hucks Given polo is, at press time, sold out online.