A row has erupted over plans by Liverpool Football Club to claim copyright on the famous Liverbird emblem.
The mythical bird is the icon of the city of Liverpool and part of the Anfield club's badge and now the Reds want the right to control the image.
But leaders of Liverpool City Council furious and are laying plans for a legal challenge.
Town Hall chiefs have only seven days in which to register official opposition to the application for by Liverpool FC to register the Liverbird as its trademark at the UK Intellectual Property Office.
Liverpool City Council's Deputy Leader Flo Clucas condemned the club's American owners over the move to register the city's historic emblem.
Lib/Dem councillor Mrs Clucas said:"This is outrageous. The Liverbird belongs to all the people of Liverpool and not one company or organisation.
"It is the symbol of the city and is used not only by the council but also by hundreds of other organisations, charities, voluntary groups and sports clubs.
"The Liverbird belongs to the whole city of Liverpool. It cannot be registered, bought and sold for private profit.
"It would be wrong for them to risk being prevented or charged for using it in the future.
"We are taking urgent legal advice on the best steps we can take to ensure the Liverbird remains the proud emblem of the whole city and not the private property of one commercial company.
"The Moores family would never have contemplated stealing the city's iconic crest for commercial gain, and the present owners should think again before trampling over an important part of the Liverpool's heritage."
Grounds for opposing trade marks include arguments that it is not unique or that someone else owns the trade mark which is the same or similar.
But Liverpool FC defended its move saying that it is seeking only to trade mark its own version of the Liverbird because the club is losing revenue through the actions of counterfeiters selling fake club merchandise.
And the Reds insist they would not try to prevent the council or other bodies using the Liverbird.
A Liverpool FC spokesman said: "What we are asking to do here is to register our version of the Liverbird. Our club crest has been registered for some time.
"If you look at Liverpool City Council's Liverbird and ours, they are markedly different. There is no way you can confuse the two.
"Counterfeit goods cost the club a substantial amount of money each year.
"The Liverbird is part and parcel of the city we are not remotely going anywhere near that."
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