NBC is finding out that it's not a good idea to piss off the under-sink garbage disposal industry. According to Zap2It, the parent company of disposal manufacturer In-Sink-Erator is suing NBC to block re-airings of the pilot of Heroes. Apparently, they're not happy with the scene where cheerleader Claire tests her power of indestructability by sticking her hand in an In-Sink-Erator disposal and flipping it on. Emerson, the parent company, claims that it casts their disposals in a bad light, telling audiences that a person could actually get injured if they accidentally stuck their hand inside a moving disposal. Yeah, I'm sure those spinning chopping blades are completely safe.

But a reporter for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch got the real scoop from a company spokesman: they're mainly suing because NBC never got permission to use the product name on the show. "It's a trademark thing," the spokesman told the paper. What they're saying is, "Pay us a licensing fee and you can show our product mangle as many hands as you want."

[via Pop Candy]