Both candidates are encountering cross words from third parties they've mentioned in their campaign ads, stump speeches and debate zingers.

The creator of NBC's "Friday Night Lights" asked Romney to stop using the show's slogan. The mother of a former Navy SEAL killed in Libya also asked him to stop talking about her son on the trail. 

AARP and the producers of "Sesame Street" have asked Obama to quit mentioning them in ads. 

Reporters for NBC have asked both candidates to stop using footage of them in ads. Legal experts say candidates are protected by free speech unless they are explicitly claiming a false endorsement.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)