The Walt Disney Co. has stepped forward and wants to block Deadmau5's trademark request, saying the DJ's ears logo is much too similar to Mickey Mouse.
Deadmau5, real name Joel Zimmerman, filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office last year to get his mouse symbol trademarked, but Disney claims the company could be damaged if the application is granted, Reuters reports.
Disney believes that the three-circle mouse eats logo is too similar to their own. "Mickey Mouse is recognized as among the greatest animated characters of all time," Disney said, noting that the image has been around since 1928.
On Tuesday, Deadmau5 took to Twitter and wrote for Mickey Mouse to "lawyer up."
The Canadian DJ went on to add, "Disney thinks you might confuse an established electronic musician/performer with a cartoon mouse. That's how stupid they think you are."
Dina LaPolt, Deadmau5's attorney, told Reuters in a statement that Zimmerman will not "be bullied" and plans to fight back against Disney's attempts to halt him trademark application. She noted she is confused why it took Disney up until now to take action since the DJ's logo is registered in 30 other countries.
image courtesy of INFphoto.com