Bikers Rev Up for Disney Dust-up

The Hells Angels, those icons of the counterculture, have filed a lawsuit against Walt Disney Co for infringing on their trademark name and logo in a forthcoming film.

The film, Wild Hogs, will not be in production until the spring; it is to star John Travolta and Tim Allen as a pair of middle-aged wannabe bikers looking for adventure on the open road, when they encounter a chapter of the Hells Angels.

The Hells Angels Motorcycle Corporation alleges in its suit that the Walt Disney Motion Picture Group never got its approval for the use of its trademark, and that the studio has repeatedly exploited the club’s name and logo - the distinctive helmeted and feathered skull - in its publicity material for Wild Hogs.

It also accused Disney of failing to provide it with a copy of the Wild Hogs screenplay.

A spokesman for Disney has dismissed the legal action as "without merit".

Wild Hogs is also slated to star Martin Lawrence but has no director attached as yet. It is due for release in summer 2007.

The Hells Angels Motorcycle Corporation, originally founded in 1948 in San Bernardino, has in recent years been linked to organized crime in both the US and Canada, with allegations centering on the production and distribution of methamphetamine, or crystal meth.