New Zealand- The organiser of a charity ball in Christchurch says the Playboy organisation may be trying to make an example of it with claims of trademark breaches.

The Playboy-themed ball earlier this year raised money for the charity Koru Care. The ball, which was a fundraiser for a charitable trust for sick children hit the headlines in September after lawyers acting for Playboy Enterprises International claimed the ball was breaching Playboy’s trademark.

Now Playboy Enterprises International is claiming more than 20 trademark infractions in the use of the name and associated images.

Craig Douglas, [pictured] of Full Throttle Events, organised the event and says they made several changes after first hearing from Playboy including removing bunny ears and tails from the girls, and putting a notice at the door disassociating themselves from the magazine.

A telephone conference took place in Wellington on Friday to try to establish whether there is a case to answer. The result of the call is not yet known.

Mr Douglas says he is worried Playboy wants make an example of him because the trademark is breached so often worldwide.

He says they want to hold the ball again next year with the same theme, but it is likely to involve some rebranding.