The Beano comic has sent arch-Brexiteer Tory MP Jacob Rees-Mogg a “cease and desist” letter instructing him to stop impersonating one of its characters.
They believe he is copying Dennis the Menace’s next-door neighbour Walter The Softy.
“Dear Sir,” writes Mike Sterling, Head of Beano Studios Scotland. “It has been brought to our attention that you have been infringing the intellectual property right of one of our cartoon characters and masquerading as Walter Brown.
“It is evident that there are numerous instances whereby you have adopted trademarked imagery and brand essences of the character to the benefit of enhancing your career and popularity. This constitutes a clear infringement of our copyright.”
A seven-point list details the striking similarities between the two characters, including “snootiness”, “hair parting and style”, and “the character’s insistence to remind others of his father’s successful career”.
