When last heard from, the Times Square tourist attraction known as the Naked Cowboy had tossed his 10-gallon hat into the political ring to unseat Mayor Michael Bloomberg, only to withdraw his candidacy.Now, the Cowboy – real name: Robert Burck, 39 – wants to rope in some potential competition, the New York Post reports. The Cowboy's target: bikini-clad Sandy Kane, who calls herself "The Naked Cowgirl" and who also appears in Times Square.
Only unlike the Cowboy, who wears only boots, a hat and tighty whities, the Cowgirl often sports a stars-and-stripes cowboy hat and matching swimsuit.
"Your use of Naked Cowgirl is essentially identical to the Naked Cowboy and is clearly in violation [of the Naked Cowboy trademark]," reads a cease-and-desist letter Burck sent the Cowgirl, says the Post. He also told the paper, "If she's going to sell stuff and make money off of it, then, yeah, she's going to have to pay."
Burck is reportedly seeking as much as $150,000, though his manager, Todd Rubenstein, says their side is willing to negotiate a deal.
Only Kane, said to be 50-ish and from New Jersey, ain't willin' to wheel and deal. "I've been naked for years," points out Kane, a veteran of New York's comedy circuit who generated some heat after closing her act by setting her breasts on fire.
"You know how much money I make?" she tells the paper. "Two dollars a picture. I'm not selling any products."
Kane also notes that, before this duel, she and Burck were set to perform a duet, which apparently fell apart when he asked her to sign a franchise contract. "The song ain't going anywhere anyways," Kane insists. "It's not like he's Tim McGraw or Keith Urban."
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