Movie executives behind The Hangover sequel have fired back at a lawsuit filed by bosses at Louis Vuitton over a designer purse carried by Zach Galifianakis' character in the comedy.

Officials at the French fashion house filed court papers in December, claiming a handbag bearing an LVM logo, which is featured in The Hangover II, is a fake.

Galifianakis's character actually mentions the company by name in one scene, clutching the bag and saying, "Careful, that is a Louis Vuitton."

Vuitton bosses want the scene to be cut from the film, claiming it could cause confusion among consumers, but studio heads at Warner Bros. are challenging the allegations and are citing the U.S. Constitution in their defense.

They filed papers in a New York federal court on Wednesday, stating they simply exercised their First Amendment right to feature trademarks as part of their creative expression - which does not require approval from the rights owners.

Lawyers for Warner Bros. are seeking to dismiss the legal action.