Disney’s Flik sues Flickr for name use; “just the first”

Irate characters are lining up at the courthouse to reclaim their names.

MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA — He’s just an ant in search of a peaceful life. Once, he had to fight off an army of grasshoppers to free his colony. And now, Flik is taking on a new battle, this one in the courtroom — the battle to reclaim his name from online photo-hosting service Flickr.

“I don’t spend much time on the internet,” Flik told Uncle Walt’s Insider in a semi-exclusive interview. “Okay, I never spend time on the internet. I’m an ant. But when I found out that someone was running a business using my name, that was too much.”

More to come

Flik’s lawsuit against Flickr.com owner SmugMug may just be the start, as other Disney characters have noticed his lawsuit and begun checking for trademark infringement themselves. Uncle Walt’s has been able to confirm that the following cases are being prepared or considered:

• Ariel has filed suit against antenna manufacturers, Microsoft Word, and the aviation industry;
• Mushu has sent cease-and-desist letters to several Chinese restaurants;
• Peter Pan is suing Peter Pan peanut butter (He tells us, “Oh, come on, really? That’s a little too on-the-nose to be a coincidence, right?”);
• The March Hare has drawn up papers against Hallmark and other calendar publishers;
• Prince Charming is going after toilet paper brand Charmin;
• Chip (of Chip and Dale) and Chip (the cup from Beauty and the Beast) are suing each other; and
• Goofy is considering action against Democrat members of Congress.

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At this time, Mickey’s pal Pluto is not planning on legal action against the astronomical body Pluto, as he feels it has suffered enough by being demoted to a “dwarf planet.”

We’ll keep you posted on any new legal developments as this story continues.

Who would you sue next? Let us know in the comments below!

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Cover photo: A Bug’s Life’s Flik, ironically using an image from Flickr. Photo by Loren Javier [CC BY-ND 2.0] via Flik-r.