NEW ORLEANS - A David-and-Goliath battle is taking form in New Orleans, after a business said on Thursday it will fight a cease-and-desist order from the NFL regarding merchandise featuring the fleur-de-lis.

The football league sent DNO (Defend New Orleans) a letter claiming that the business and its owner, Jac Currie, are violating trademarks associated with the New Orleans Saints.

At issue: t-shirts and other merchandise featuring the fleur-de-lis imposed on a skull, sometimes using a color scheme similar to the black and gold of the Saints.

The NFL calls it "confusingly similar" to the Saints logo.

In a response posted on Twitter, DNO said, "We will not stop."

An attorney for the business, in a letter to the NFL, argues that "the fleur-de-lis has been synonymous with New Orleans since its founding in 1718," and said he will not advise his client to stop selling the merchandise.

Such actions by the league and its franchises are not uncommon. Ironically, in May, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers sued the Saints organization after the latter renamed its "Saintsations" cheer squad the "Saints Cheer Krewe." The Buccaneers are claiming trademark rights built around the word "krewe."