US restaurant chain claims Burger King ads are rip-off

An American fast-food chain is suing Burger King in the USA, claiming that an advertisement linked to the animated film Chicken Run was a rip-off of its own campaign.

The Burger King ads, part of a month-long promotion, featured a line-up of chicken characters from the film urging customers to eat more beef. They held up signs that read, "Save the Chickens, Eat a Whopper", although at first one of the chickens mistakenly spelled the word as "Chopper".

Atlanta, Georgia-based Chick-fil-A says it was too close to its own campaign, featuring a line-up of cows with their own spelling problems; their signs read "Eat Mor Chikin". The award-winning cow campaign has been running for five years.

Chick-fil-A, with more than 920 restaurants in 34 states, has filed a lawsuit for unspecified damages. It sought a restraining order on Burger King's ads being aired, but a judge ruled they could continue until last Sunday, their scheduled cut-off date.

A Burger King spokeswoman said: "We don't believe this case has any merit and we're prepared to defend ourselves vigorously."