A war of words and images has broken out in Surrey B.C., where a company that sells T-shirts and sweatshirts online is accused of violating local copyrights and trademarks with tongue-in-cheek slaps at the city's image.

The city has sent a cease-and-desist order to SurreyShirts.com, claiming copyright infringement of a logo image and catchphrase, but the company insists it's within its rights and will ignore the demand.

City solicitor Craig MacFarlane is adamant.

"Like any organization, [like] the Olympic committee, during the Olympics, we want to protect our logo," MacFarlane told CBC News.

Olympic officials were known to vigorously pursue any business, large or small, that had been perceived to be using the Games' iconic rings logo or other related images and phrases in any way.

The Surrey logo features a stylized building outline, with the tag line, "The future lives here."

Some of the company's T-shirts feature what looks very much like the same stylized building, as well as bullet holes and the tag line "Better safe than Surrey."

One of the shirts features bullet-hole images surrounding the contested logo and a slap at the city's image. (SurreyShirts.com)

Another shirt features a handgun with the words "Surrey, the future dies here."

Owner Don Pitcairn also claims his images and slogans are trademarked.

"Trust me, I will be telling them that we have no intention of changing our designs. We have no intention of closing up shop," Pitcairn said late Wednesday.

Pitcairn says his images and slogans are anti-gang, anti-gun messages.

He also says changes to the Copyright Act last year holds that parody and satire do not infringe on copyright.

With files from the CBC's Terry Donnelly