Certain companies are known for having a ruthless reputation when it comes to protecting their intellectual property. Disney and Apple, for instance, are no strangers to sending cease and desist letters to fans and companies for infringing on their copyright. While most C&D orders aren’t particularly noteworthy, here are 10 that are funny, shocking, or just downright interesting.

Related: Top 10 Craziest Copyright Claims Ever Made

10 Bud Light Sent Modist Brewing a Medieval C&D

On December 1, 2017, Modist Brewing Co. released their Dilly Dilly Mosaic Double IPA. Just a couple of hours after the launch, Bud Light—who used the phrase “dilly dilly” in their medieval-themed marketing campaign—sent Modist Brewing an unusual cease and desist letter. A medieval-style town crier showed up at Modist’s offices and read the C&D from a scroll.

The crier stated that while Bud Light was fine with Modist selling the current run of beer, they weren’t to use the name thereafter. The wording referenced Bud Light’s adverts, stating that failure to comply “shall be met with additional scrolls, then with a formal warning, and finally a private tour of the pit of misery.”

The video of the moment went viral, but when asked whether they were in on it, Modist said, “Nope. Not even for a dillisecond.”^[1]

9 The Lord of the Rings vs. The Lord of the Bins

When Dan Walker and Nick Lockwood both lost their jobs because of the COVID-19 pandemic, they decided to set up their own small business: The Lord of the Bins, a waste disposal company. As well as punning on the name of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, the typeface they chose was similar to that used for the titles of Peter Jackson’s film adaptations. Their motto is similarly suggestive of the fantasy series: “One ring to remove it all.”

But it wasn’t long before the Brighton-based company received a cease and desist order from Middle Earth Enterprises—which owns the film and merchandising rights to Tolkien’s series—demanding that Walker and Lockwood change the name and tagline.

“It’s just bully-boy tactics,” Lockwood told The Sun. But despite believing that their business wouldn’t cause any harm to The Lord of the Rings, Walker said, “We can’t afford to fight them. We’re just trying to make people smile and make a living.”^[2]

8 T-Mobile Is Protective of Pink

Telecommunications company T-Mobile is extremely protective of the pink color of their logo, which is technically Pantone’s Rhodamine Red U. As well as appearing in all of their marketing, the company’s former CEO, John Legere, was always repping the color—from his T-shirt to his shoes and sometimes even his hair.

Back in 2014, T-Mobile sued their rival AT&T for using a plum color in their marketing for subsidiary company Aio Wireless. Federal District Court Judge Lee Rosenthal sided with T-Mobile, stating that the similar colors mean that “potential customers will be confused into thinking that Aio is affiliated or associated with T-Mobile.”

However, T-Mobile doesn’t just go after its direct competitors, with whom customers may legitimately get confused. The company has also sent cease and desist letters to an IT firm, a smartwatch maker, and an insurance company. Although T-Mobile seems particularly militant about safeguarding its shade of magenta, it isn’t the only one that has trademarked a color. There’s Tiffany blue, Barbie pink, and UPS brown. ^[3]

7 A Napoleon Dynamite Actor Sent a C&D to His Twin Brother

Efren Ramirez is best known for playing Pedro Sánchez in the comedy movie Napoleon Dynamite (2004), but the successful film effectively ended his relationship with his identical twin brother. Carlos Ramirez started to attend events as his twin brother whenever Efren was too busy to go. In 2008, Carlos told TMZ, “I did attend an event without his knowledge as I was being immature and wanted to get back at him for a personal matter which involved the girl I was dating at the time.”

When Efren found out, he sent Carlos a cease and desist order, threatening to sue him for more than $10 million if he impersonated him again. Carlos immediately stopped and hopes to salvage their relationship one day. “I think it’s safe to say the magnitude of Napoleon Dynamite and everything that has come along with it has ruined my relationship with my twin,” he lamented.^[4]

6 Netflix Shut Down a Stranger Things Bar

In the summer of 2017, brothers Danny and Doug Marks opened a Stranger Things-themed pop-up bar in Logan Square, Chicago. Called The Upside Down, the bar sold themed cocktails—such as the syrup-flavored Eleven’s Eggos—and was decorated with the iconic Christmas tree light alphabet wall from the show. The bar was immediately successful, and the brothers were hoping to keep it running through October for both the Season 2 premiere and Halloween.

But not long after opening, the Marks were sent a humorous cease and desist letter filled with references to the show. “Unless I’m living in the Upside Down, I don’t think we did a deal with you for this pop-up,” the letter from Netflix read. The brothers were allowed to finish out their original six-week run but had to shut up shop after that. “We love our fans more than anything, but you should know that the demogorgon is not always as forgiving. So please don’t make us call your mom,” the letter ended.^[5]

5 In-N-Out Sent a Punny C&D to Seven Stills Brewery

In July 2018, San Francisco-based craft brewery Seven Stills announced the release of a “Neopolitan milkshake stout” styled after fast food chain In-N-Out. Called In-N-Stout, the design of the can copied the red, white, and yellow color scheme used by the burger joint and even used their iconic palm tree design.

Seven Stills co-owner Tim Obert said that the company “expected to receive the cease and desist,” but the puns littered throughout the letter came as a surprise. In-N-Out said that the “use of our marks by third parties ales us,” as well as “we are attempting to clearly distill our rights by crafting an amicable approach with you, rather than barrel through this.”

Seven Stills complied with In-N-Out’s demands and released the stout with a different name and packaging.^[6]

4 Carl Sagan Sued Apple

Apple is known for aggressively sending out C&Ds to companies that try to use the word “pod” or an apple as their logo (even pears aren’t safe!). But Apple got a taste of their own medicine back in the early ’90s after it was revealed that their Power Mac 7100 had been given the codename “Carl Sagan.”

The name was selected due to Sagan’s catchphrase “billions and billions,” with the idea being that Apple hoped to make billions and billions of dollars from sales of the computer (they didn’t). However, the astronomer didn’t appreciate his name being used, fearing it suggested that he personally endorsed the product.

After Sagan sent a cease and desist letter, Apple changed the product’s codename to “BHA,” which stands for “Butt-Head Astronomer.” He didn’t appreciate this either and sued Apple for libel. When that failed, he sued the company for using his name in the first place. A settlement was reached out of court.

The final codename of the Mac ended up being “LAW” for “Lawyers Are Wimps.”^[7]

3 George Lucas Sent a C&D to Queen

Freddie Mercury was famous for his extravagant performances. When Queen was touring during the late ’70s and early ’80s, Mercury would come out for the encore on the shoulders of a buff security guard dressed up as Superman or Santa Claus. Walt Versen, Queen’s head of security, then suggested that he dress up as Darth Vader, what with the Star Wars movies being so popular at the time.

Verson-as-Vader heard Mercury perform “We Will Rock You” from below around a dozen times, which he described as “a unique experience” in a 2019 interview. When the Vader costume was suddenly scrapped, Verson wasn’t sure what had happened, but he later found out that George Lucas didn’t appreciate his character being Mercury’s stead and sent a cease and desist letter.

It’s a shame that Lucas wasn’t a fan because the crowd certainly was. “Everybody just thought it was so funny, so Freddie,” says photographer Tom Callins, who captured one of the iconic images of Freddie riding the Star Wars villain.^[8]

2 Taco John’s Didn’t Want Anyone Else Using the Phrase “Taco Tuesday”

The phrase “Taco Tuesday” is ubiquitous, with the slogan being used by countless eateries to promote a discounted price for tacos on Tuesdays. But despite being so widespread, for years, Taco John’s—a restaurant chain in the Midwest and Mountain regions—owned the trademark and sent out cease and desist letters to other businesses that used the phrase.

Taco John’s proudly boasted about their ownership on their website: “Ever hear of Taco Tuesday®? We started it! We even trademarked it. That’s how seriously we take tacos.” Taco John’s may have trademarked it, but they certainly didn’t start it in the ’80s, as they claim. Thrillist reports that the earliest evidence of a special deal for tacos on Tuesdays can be found in 1933, while the exact phrase “Taco Tuesday” can be traced back to 1973.

Despite the C&D letters, there was no stopping the rampant use of the phrase. In 2023, Taco Bell filed a petition with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to cancel Taco John’s trademark, stating that the phrase “should be freely available to all who make, sell, eat and celebrate tacos.” Taco John’s conceded, with CEO Jim Creel saying that “paying millions of dollars to lawyers to defend our mark just doesn’t feel like the right thing to do.”^[9]

1 The North Face vs. The South Butt

In 2007, 16-year-old Jimmy Winkelmann decided to create a clothing company to poke fun at his classmates wearing North Face clothes despite not climbing mountains. He called his company The South Butt and used the slogan “Never Stop Relaxing” in a parody of The North Face’s “Never Stop Exploring.” The logo was also a riff on the outdoor clothing company’s icon; instead of three curves forming a mountain, Winkelmann flipped it upside down and removed one arch to evoke butt cheeks.

The North Face didn’t see the humor in it, though—despite Winkelmann’s business having only made around $5,000—and they sent him a cease and desist letter. Winkelmann lawyered up, leading The North Face to file a trademark infringement suit, and the resulting publicity drove far more traffic to The South Butt’s website. “Simply put, if it weren’t for the efforts of The North Face, The South Butt probably wouldn’t still exist,” said Albert Watkins, Winkelmann’s attorney.

In 2010, The North Face and The South Butt reached a settlement agreement, but the terms weren’t disclosed (aside from The South Butt ceasing operations).^[10]

Tales of their courage, valor, and piety have long captured our imaginations. Shrouded in mystery, the knights of the medieval world evoke romantic ideas of a time when noble quests and adventure seemed the norm. Yet, while some of these orders may sound familiar, others escape our attention, even though their power and influence were just as impressive.

Here are ten of the most powerful Orders of Knights that the medieval world had ever known.

Related: 10 Awesome Medieval Knights You’ve Never Heard Of

10 The Order of Santiago

The Christian religious Order of Santiago was founded in Spain sometime around 1160. The primary purpose of the order was to fight Spanish Muslims and protect pilgrims traveling to the shrine of St. James at Compostella. The rules of this Christian military-religious order were based on those of the Augustinian monks and the Templars. However, unlike all other medieval orders, they didn’t lead a monastic lifestyle. The Knights of Santiago could marry and own personal possessions.

Officially founded in the city of Caceres, the order quickly expanded to become a formidable force within the Reconquista, the series of wars that re-Christianized the Iberian Peninsula. While always remaining fairly small in number, the knights gained extensive fame and land across Europe. You could say they were the celebrities of their day.^[1]

9 The Knights of Saint Stephen of Tuscany

Founded in 1561, the full name for this Roman Catholic Tuscan dynastic military order is the Holy Military Order of Saint Stephen Pope and Martyr! Saint Stephen was the first ever Christian martyr trialed and stoned to death after being accused of blasphemy by the supreme Jewish law court, the Sanhedrin. Stephen was likely a Greek Jew who converted to Christianity.

The Knights of Saint Stephen were created by the first Tuscan Grand Duke Cosimo de Medici, and they followed the rule of the Benedictine Order. Cosimo de Medici himself was the first grandmaster of the order, and his successors to the role were the ensuing grand dukes of Tuscany.

The main role of the knights was to fight the Ottoman Turks at sea and the Corsair pirates of the Mediterranean. They played a crucial role in securing victory at the Battle of Lepanto in 1571, which marked a turning point in preventing the expansion of the Ottoman Empire. Given the power of the Ottoman Empire up until that point, it takes a pretty badass order of knights to help turn the tables of history like that!^[2]

8 The Order of Saint James of Altopascio

This Italian warrior brotherhood was also known as the Order of the Tau due to the use of the Tau symbol as its official emblem. Their origins lie within the foundation of a hospital by Augustinian monks at Altopascio, Italy, sometime around 952. Set apart from the general clergy, a group of physicians known as Clerics comprised the majority of the order. They provided spiritual, medical, and military assistance to pilgrims along the perilous roads between the cities of Genoa and Lucca.

Although the Order of the Tau had become fully militarized sometime in the 1050s, only in 1239 did it gain papal recognition as a military order. Despite the fact that the Knights of the Tau were never particularly large in number, they built numerous hospitals elsewhere, were very effective, and generally rather ahead of their time. Without a doubt, these guys were the trendsetters of Medieval Europe.^[3]

7 The Livonian Brotherhood of the Sword

Alongside their pretty epic-sounding name, this Cistercian order of monastic warriors was one of the most significant knightly orders in Eastern Europe. The Brethren of the Sword, as they were also known, was established in the Livonian colony of Riga in 1202. The city of Riga had been settled the year before in what is now Latvia and Estonia to support the eastward Christianization of Europe. With the pope’s permission, the Livonian Brotherhood was founded as a permanent military body in Livonia to protect the conquests of the Christian Church. They were also tasked with forcibly converting the native pagans to Christianity—and force them they did!

The Knights of the Livonian Brotherhood were required to be of noble birth and had to take vows of obedience, poverty, and celibacy. Membership wasn’t just limited to knights, however, as soldiers, clerics, and artisans also made up a portion of the Brotherhood. Their downfall came when they attempted to conquer lands belonging to groups known as the Curonians, Semigallians, and Samogitians.

After experiencing excruciating defeat in battle, the Knights received a further scolding from the pope and the Holy Roman Emperor. They had used conversion tactics that were far too brutal and were forced to disband and reorganize as a branch of the Teutonic Knights (more on them later!).^[4]

6 The Order of Calatrava

The Knights of Calatrava originated in 1158 as a result of the Reconquista in the Iberian Peninsula. The area had been a battleground between Christendom and Islam long before the Crusades came to the Holy Land. Before the Knights of Calatrava emerged, no large Spanish order comparable with those from elsewhere in Europe had fought there. When the royal castle of Calatrava was abandoned, however, King Sancho III of Castile ceded it to the abbot of a Cistercian monastery. Within a year, a group of soldiers and Cistercian monks had not only successfully defended the castle against the Moors but had also cleared the surrounding region of bandits.

Forming a new military-religious brotherhood, the pope formally recognized the order in 1164. It became closely affiliated with the Cistercian abbey of Morimond but maintained its headquarters at Calatrava, despite its brief occupation by the Moors. The order played a significant role in the Reconquest of Andalusia and, by the 15th century, had a membership of 200,000.

Although its numbers diminished leading up to its dissolution in the 19th century, the Knights of Calatrava were, at one point, one of the fiercest orders in Medieval Europe based on their sheer numbers alone. This was one big group of monks you wouldn’t want to mess with!^[5]

5 The Hospitallers of Saint Thomas of Canterbury

Named after Thomas Becket, the martyred Archbishop of Canterbury, the Hospitallers of St. Thomas was founded during the Third Crusade. During the siege of the city of Acre in 1191, a Christian chaplain was among Richard I’s English forces. He felt such sadness and compassion at the sight of so many Christian corpses that he rallied a small group to help him tend to the wounded and bury the dead. He soon formed an English order for the purpose of burying the Christian knights who had fallen in battle in the Holy Land. He also worked on raising the funds to bring home ransomed captives caught by the Saracens.

The English monks of the order were eventually pressed into service, replacing the knights who had fallen through death or disease. With this, they became military monks who fought alongside the knights of numerous other orders battling in the Holy Lands. For their bravery and valor, the Hospitallers were rewarded by King Richard I, who accorded them the status of an Order of Chivalry. A title like that was probably the ultimate status symbol of the Medieval world.^[6]

4 The Teutonic Knights

Like the Hospitallers of St. Thomas, the Teutonic Order was founded during the capture of Acre in 1191. During the siege, a group of German merchants formed a fraternity to nurse the sick. And they took over a hospital in the town from which to do so. The later withdrawal of a large number of German crusaders in 1197 caused the German princes and bishops to search for alternatives. So, in 1198, they militarized the fraternity to make it a military-religious order of knights.

The Teutonic Order grew incredibly popular and became one of the most powerful orders of knights in the Holy Land. Had it not been for the equally impressive might of other knightly orders also there at the time, then they undoubtedly would have gained even more land and influence.

Once the Crusades were over, however, the Teutonic Knights joined the movement to convert the pagans in Eastern Europe. Gaining major political power and land ownership, they quickly became the most important and dominant order of knights in that region. Little wonder then that the Livonian Brotherhood was eventually absorbed by them.^[7]

3 The Hospitallers of Saint John

The formation of the Hospitallers of Saint John was bound up with the founding of a hospital in Jerusalem around 1070. Established by a group of monks as a place of rest for pilgrims, anyone who became ill during their travels was cared for, regardless of race or religion. Those who worked there were officially recognized by the Church as members of a new religious order in 1113. Known as the Hospitallers, they eventually took on a military role once the Crusaders captured Jerusalem.

The Order was divided between those who retained a peaceful, religious role and those who fought and became known as the Knights of the Order of Saint John of Jerusalem. They briefly moved to Cyprus following the recapture of Palestine by Muslim forces in 1291, and then later to Rhodes and, finally, to Malta. They stayed in Malta until 1798, building the capital city of Valetta while they were there. The tiny island remained safe under their protection for so long, largely because the order was so effective in patrolling the Mediterranean with their ships. With those seafaring skills, they certainly could have given the Knights of Saint Stephen a run for their money.^[8]

2 The Order of St. Lazarus

Founded shortly after the Hospitallers, the origin of the Order of Saint Lazarus also took place during the First Crusade of 1099. It was initially based in Jerusalem, where members would help lepers within the leprosarium just outside the city walls. The order evolved to assume a military role at some point before the early 13th century, and its knights participated in the most important campaigns in the Holy Land. The order’s range of influence soon expanded, and it eventually acquired a church, a convent, and a mill in Jerusalem. They also constructed hospitals, chapels, and various other establishments, expanding their role into Europe.

Many of the knights were themselves lepers, and Hospitallers who caught the disease often had to transfer to the Order of Saint Lazarus. Even ordinary citizens who suffered from the disease were recruited to fight alongside the knights. This fact alone can make anyone appreciate what a tough bunch the Knights of Lazarus must have been.^[9]

1 The Knights Templar

No list of Medieval knights would be complete without a nod to the legendary Knights Templar. The sheer scale of notoriety for this wealthy, powerful, and mysterious order is what secures them the top spot. Setting a precedent for groups of warrior monks, the Knights Templar was formed in the Holy Land around 1118. After the Christian capture of Jerusalem during the Crusades, groups of pilgrims visiting from Europe were often robbed and killed during their journeys to the various holy sites. In order to escort and protect them, a French knight and eight of his friends and relatives established a military order. Setting up quarters on Jerusalem’s sacred Temple Mount, they adopted its name and called themselves the Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and the Temple of Solomon.

The Knights Templar, as they came to be known, quickly grew in size and prominence. Tales of their adventures, military prowess, and work on behalf of their faith fascinated the Medieval world. They even set up a successful network of banks, which gave them a reputation for their financial acumen. However, they led pretty disciplined lives and had to follow a strict code of conduct. Pledging poverty, chastity, and obedience, they had to pray every day and were forbidden from drinking, gambling, and swearing. With so much work and very little play, the Knights Templar are some of history’s most notorious badasses!^[10]