John Wayne's heirs are duelling with Duke University over the family's right to market bottles of bourbon branded with the late movie star's nickname, Duke.

A federal lawsuit filed last week is the latest salvo in a long-running feud between the North Carolina university and California-based John Wayne Enterprises over who controls the trademark for commercial products featuring the name.

The school says allowing Wayne Enterprises to use Duke could cause confusion and tarnish the value of the moniker. Wayne's heirs point to the actor's use of the nickname since childhood.

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