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7 June 2019Copyright

Publisher brushes off cease-and-desist letter over AOC comic

A US comic book publisher has dismissed a cease-and-desist letter from DC Comics over an issue of its “Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez and the Freshman Force” graphic novel, according to reports.

DC Comics, the company behind Batman and Superman, has claimed that Devil’s Due Comics’ version of Democratic US representative Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez closely resembles Wonderman, another one of DC’s iconic characters.

According to comic book news outlets including Newsarama, the Wonderman publisher went as far as to issue Devil’s Due with a cease-and-desist letter.

Devil’s Due responded on Wednesday, June 5, with a replacement cover for the issue, entitled “The Cease & DCist Edition”.

In a press release published by Newsarama on Wednesday, Devil’s Due publisher Jay Blaylock said that the cease-and-desist letter was “already a moot point by the time we received it”.

“Regardless of it being unwarranted, as a retailer exclusive, the extremely limited amount of copies were already out of our hands,” Blaylock added.

“Wonder Woman and her attire make no appearance in the 'Cease & DCist Edition’,” the release said.

Ocasio-Cortez has gained a high profile since her election to the US House of Representatives for New York’s 14th congressional district. She has previously challenged Gilead over the prices of its HIV prevention drug Truvada.

Earlier this year in March, WIPR  reported that DC Comics was on the other side of an IP dispute over a comic from its back catalogue.

Sony filed to cancel a DC trademark for its 1994 comic book series "Zero Hour" on the grounds of non-use

The move came after the US Patent and Trademark Office refused registration for Sony’s "Firewall Zero Hour" trademark on the grounds that it would cause confusion with DC’s mark.

WIPR has contacted Devil’s Due and DC Comics for comment.

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More on this story

Trademarks
27 March 2019   Sony has filed a petition to cancel DC Comics’ trademark for its 1994 comic book series "Zero Hour".
Trademarks
4 September 2019   DC Comics is investigating whether to oppose three trademark applications, one of which features a superhero cartoon character and another including the word ‘Joker’.