The couple that came up with the idea for the Light City festival in Baltimore has asked a federal judge to bar the city from using trademarks associated with the event, according to a report in The Sun.

Justin Allen and Brooke Hall, owners of marketing and creative agency What Works Studio, claim in a countersuit to a lawsuit filed by the city that the Baltimore Office of Promotion & the Arts — a nonprofit that stages events for the city — misrepresented plans for its relationship with Allen and Hall to defraud them and gain control over Light City, according to The Sun.

Tracey Baskerville, a spokeswoman for the BOPA, told The Sun the organization is continuing to focus on the 2017 festival.

The open letter, posted on a blog created by Allen and Hall and named “The Light City Chronicles,” reads in part:

You may have seen the news that BOPA (Baltimore Office of Promotion & The Arts) and The City are suing us for reasons related to Light City. While this lawsuit against us is obviously concerning, we see this as an opportunity to disrupt the status quo that stunts our city’s progress.

This is about more than an annual festival or the name of an event. This is about standing up to those in power who think they can take whatever they want from whoever they want without consequence.

On Friday, we filed our response to BOPA’s lawsuit against us in an effort to stand up for our rights and to challenge the outdated systems that are stifling innovation and holding our city back…

With a little common decency and reasonable compromise on BOPA’s part, this situation could have been avoided.

We’d like to thank the community for the outpouring of support and well wishes we’ve received during this difficult time.

Photo: Light City Baltimore Facebook page