Warner Brothers and The Weinstein Company are knee deep in a legal battle over the forthcoming film, "The Butler" that is turning nasty fast. 

In an attention-grabbing move, Warner Bros. objected to the movie's title, citing rights to a similarly titled short from 1916, according to the New York Times. They were so adamant about their opinion that the film company sought the legal system's help, and won in an industry arbitration last week. But,  head of the opposing company, Harvey Weinstein did not take the beating sitting down and decided to fight back.

TWC lawyer, David Boies is appealing the decision and taking further action. They had been going back-and-forth with Warner over the title after TWC failed to clear it before moving forward with their release plan for the Forest Whitaker-led film, arriving in theaters on Aug. 16.

The company is no stranger to highly-publicized controversies. TWC were publicly embroiled in battles over a number of films including "Fahrenheit 9/11," "Blue Valentine" and "Silver Linings Playbook." And with this latest court scuffle, Boies is threatening a restraining order and more litigation. And Daniels wrote a letter detailing how much a title change would "hurt the film by limiting the number of people who would ultimately see this important story." 

Helmed by Daniels of "Precious" fame, this drama is an in-depth look at the life of Cecil Gaines, played by Forest Whitaker, who was the White House's head butler from 1952-86, according to IMDB. He had a rather fascinating vantage point, witnessing first hand as political and racial history was made. The flick stars John Cusack, Liev Schreiber, Terrance Howard, Minka Kelly, James Marsden, Jane Fonda, Robin Williams, Lenny Kravitz and many others. The movie also features Mariah Carey in a controversial role that has drawn attention.

Watch the trailer below.