HEIRS of the late actor Steve McQueen have gone to court to stop an apparel manufacturer based in Italy from using the King of Cool's name and likeness.

Chadwick McQueen and The Terry McQueen Testamentary Trust say in a lawsuit filed in US District Court in Manhattan that McQueen's name and likeness have been ripped off by Belstaff USA Corp.

They've asked the court to stop the company from marketing jackets, coats, sweaters, t-shirts, pants and shoes under the name of the actor, who starred in such classics as Bullitt and The Great Escape, and died in 1980.

The lawsuit said the rights to merchandise carrying McQueen's name belong to his two children, Chad and Terry.

The lawsuit said Terry McQueen died in 1998, leaving her rights and assets to her daughter, Molly Flattery, through the trust.

The lawsuit seeks a judicial order to stop Belstaff and related companies from manufacturing or selling items that carry the actor's name or messages related to him. It also seeks unspecified damages.

A telephone message left at Belstaff's Manhattan office was not immediately returned today.

Belstaff is based in Treviso, in northern Italy, but was founded in Britain in 1924.

McQueen's film credits also include The Magnificent Seven, The Cincinnati Kid and the critically acclaimed Papillon, which co-starred Dustin Hoffman.

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