Deadmau5 fires back in legal scrap with Disney
Canadian DJ accuses Disney of using his music without permission in latest round of trademark dispute
Canadian DJ Deadmau5 has countered a trademark infringement action by Disney by sending the media conglomerate a cease-and-desist order concerning a video that uses his music.
TMZ reports that Disney is trying to block Deadmau5 from trademarking his own logo on the grounds that it too closely resembles the iconic Mickey Mouse silhouette.
The DJ, whose real name is Joel Zimmerman, has been wearing a mouse head during performances for more than 10 years.
On Tuesday, he tweeted: "Looks like Disney officially just filed in opposition of my trademark. Lawyer up, Mickey."
Disney submitted an official 171-page opposition to the trademark filing this month, with the claim that granting Deadmau5 the trademark would damage its business in the U.S. and around the world.
Late Thursday, the electronic music producer countered with a legal salvo: he tweeted a Disney link that has a 90-second video featuring short clips from various films with a caption: "Enjoy a spooky cartoon Re-Micks to the tune of Deadmau5's Ghosts 'n' Stuff."
The DJ says he never gave Disney permission to use his music.
As a result, he's sent a two-page letter to Disney Interactive demanding that "Disney remove or disable access to the materials" within two business days of receiving the order, dated Sept. 4.
Disney has not responded publicly to the order.