McCartney Calls For McDonald's Boycott Over Unauthorized Use Of Beatles' Image

It might be McCartney v. McDonald's in court as the former Beatle Sir Paul McCartney called for a boycott of the hamburger chain for using the Beatles' image at a Liverpool outlet.

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McCartney is a vegetarian for the past three decades and McDonald's use of the Beatles' photo at its restaurant in his hometown rankled him.

Geoff Baker, McCartney's spokesman said, quoted by the U.K. Telegraph, "What sort of morons do McDonald's think Beatles' fans are?... It's ridiculous and insulting to use images to peddle hamburgers. Fans should boycott McDonald's, and not just in Liverpool."

McCartney is the president of the Vegetarian Society of Great Britain and ambassador of the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. A spokeswoman of PETA supported the ex-Beatle's stand. "He became a vegetarian after watching lambs play in a field outside his home and surely would not want anyone to use his likeness to help promote meat," a PETA spokeswoman explained.

McDonald's, which reported last month a 33 percent rise in quarterly cash dividends, said McCartney's photo was used to acknowledge the outstanding contribution the popular British singing group of the 1960s contributed to culture, and was not meant as an endorsement.