Deadmau5 Files Trademark Petition on Behalf of His Cat Meowingtons

Deadmau5 (A.K.A. Joel Zimmerman) is no stranger to legal battles, famously going head to head with Disney in 2014 over use of the iconic mouse head logo that's come to define both parties' very different brands. This time, though, Zimmerman's fighting the good fight on behalf of his beloved cat, Meowingtons (A.K.A. "Prof. Meowingtons" and "Prof. Meowingtons, PhD").

As Billboard reports, Zimmerman has filed a trademark petition with the United States Patent and Trademark Office to cancel the Meowingtons trademark belonging to the Florida woman Emma Bassiri, who, according to the document, has been selling "cat-themed women's apparel, bags, accessories, pillows, mugs and other home décor, and phone accessories" at the domain meowingtons.com since approximately February 2014. Zimmerman reportedly discovered this when his own attempt to trademark the Prof. Meowingtons name was refused due to "likelihood of confusion" with Bassiri's mark. The petition also claims there have been "several incidents" in which consumers have confused the website as being officially affiliated with the cat.

The petition also alleges that Bassiri is a longtime fan of deadmau5 and was aware of the Meowingtons name before using it for her business. Zimmerman adopted the cat in 2010 and created separate social media pages for it, including Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Meowingtons inspired the name for deadmau5's fall 2011 tour, Meowingtons Hax, and is also featured prominently on the album artwork for his 2012 album, >album title goes here<. Meowingtons merchandise has also been sold since 2011, including the first ever headphones designed specifically for cats.

Read the full petition here.