If the dead could speak, they probably wouldn't have been heard over the burst of virtual shouting and howling Walt Disney Co. drew for attempting to trademark "Dia de los Muertos" -- a bid it has since dropped. 
 
 The company filed 10 applications with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for “Dia de los Muertos,” including applications pertaining to toys, cereals and jewelry. The May 1 filings came in anticipation of an untitled movie about the Mexican holiday, known in English as Day of the Dead. 
 
 “As we have previously announced, Disney-Pixar is developing an animated feature inspired by the Mexican holiday Día de los Muertos,” a studio spokesperson said in a statement. 
 
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 “Disney’s trademark filing was intended to protect any potential title for our film and related activities. It has since been determined that the title of the film will change and therefore we are withdrawing our trademark filing.” 
 
 The centuries-old holiday, with roots in indigenous Aztec culture, honors the dead by building altars, decorating gravesites and holding processions. The Day of the Dead is not just observed in Mexico, but other parts of Latin America, Europe and the United States. 
 
 A petition to stop Walt Disney Co. from trademarking “Dia de los Muertos” went up on change.org Tuesday, a day after Stitch Kingdom reported the filings. As of Wednesday morning it had 19,500 signatures. 
 
 “Our spiritual traditions are for everyone, not for companies like Walt Disney to trademark and exploit,” wrote Grace Sesma, the petition’s creator. “I am deeply offended and dismayed that a family-oriented company like Walt Disney would seek to own the rights to something that is the rightful heritage of the people of Mexico.” 
 
 “This is a sacred tradition. It's NOT FOR SALE,” wrote Consuelo Alba, of Watsonville, Calif. 
 
 The trademark application was "odd" to Evonne Gallardo, executive director of the Boyle Heights art center Self Help Graphics. The center puts on one of the largest Day of the Dead celebrations in Los Angeles and has been sponsored by the Walt Disney Co. 
 
 "The right thing to do is not to attempt to trademark a cultural and spiritual celebration," Gallardo said. "I have yet to see a trademark on Christmas or Hanukkah." 
 
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 It's not the first time Walt Disney Co. drew criticism for a trademark application. In 2011 it withdrew its application to trademark "Seal Team 6," the name of the military unit that tracked and killed Osama bin Laden. Less than a week after the Navy SEAL team's successful mission, Disney moved to patent with plans to produce toys and entertainment. 
 
 After the Navy filed its own trademark claim, Disney bailed out. 
 
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 adolfo.flores@latimes.com 
 
 Follow Adolfo Flores on Twitter. ||||| A minor league baseball team in Orem, Utah faced a barrage of criticism Friday over an Aug. 10 ticket promotion it called "Caucasian Heritage Night." 
 
 The website of the Orem Owlz offered the promotion for fans who were "Irish, Italian, Scandinavian, German.... or even Utahn! Whatever your background, celebrate it at the Home of the Owlz!" 
 
 The team pulled the promotion and apologized Friday afternoon. 
 
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 In a statement, the Owlz' General Manager Justo Vazquez said the team "is about baseball, togetherness and family fun for all fans of all races, religions, and orientations and that the event was created "to have fun and make fun of everyday normalcies." 
 
 Vazquez added that the night was to include what amounted to a cornucopia of whiteness: "Wonder Bread on burgers with mayonnaise, clips from shows like Friends and Seinfeld, and trying to solve the vertical leaping challenge." 
 
 However, he said: "We understand, in light of recent tragic events, that our intentions have been misconstrued. For that, we sincerely apologize." 
 
 Image: milb.com 
 
 Perhaps not surprisingly, the idea of a promotion that sounded a little like "white pride night" didn't go over very well. 
 
 "'Caucasian Heritage Night' should be cancelled before the entire country comes down on your organization and your idiotic idea," one Twitter user wrote to the team's account. 
 
 @OremOwlz "Caucasian Heritage Night" should be cancelled before the entire country comes down on your organization and your idiotic idea. — Leon Trotsky (@DY_MoneyRespect) June 19, 2015 
 
 "In light of everything happening right now, Caucasian Heritage Night is a bad idea, ill-timed at best," said another. 
 
 @oremowlz In light of everything happening right now, Caucasian Heritage Night is a bad idea, ill-timed at best. — RandalSerr (@randalserr) June 19, 2015 
 
 "I think they could've gotten the same point across w/o the controversy by calling it sunscreen appreciation day," a third joked. 
 
 The baseball team is affiliated with the Los Angeles Angels. Orem, a town in central Utah with a population of 88,328, is nearly 80% white, according to City Data. Approximately 15% of the town is Hispanic and less than 1% of its residents are African-American.
– Disney isn't winning points for cultural sensitivity this month after trying to trademark the phrase "Dia de los Muertos," reports the Arizona Republic. The company is working on a film inspired by the centuries-old Mexican holiday, which translates to "Day of the Dead" and celebrates the spirits of ancestors. Disney filed for the trademark on May 1, standard practice ahead of a movie to protect merchandising rights, but pulled the bid this week amid the ensuing outcry. (Exhibit A: This Change.org petition.) “How can you trademark a cultural tradition?” asks one Phoenix artist, her question summing up the common reaction. In its explanation for why it is pulling the trademark bid, Disney didn't exactly acknowledge the criticism: "It has since been determined that the title of the film will change, and therefore we are withdrawing our trademark filing.” Disney also once tried to trademark the phrase "Seal Team 6," but pulled the application after the military raised objections, notes the LA Times.