Hallmark Cards says a greeting card using Paris Hilton's "that's hot" catch phrase and image was meant as a parody. But the celebrity socialite apparently didn't appreciate the humour.

The Kansas City-based greeting card giant and the hotel heiress have reached a settlement in a three-year-old lawsuit over the card, a company spokeswoman said on Tuesday.

The deal was sealed, and Hallmark spokeswoman Julie O'Dell declined to provide details. Hilton's lawsuit had sought $500,000 (Dh1.83 million).

Hilton's attorneys had said the company misappropriated Hilton's image and her catch phrase, which she trademarked in 2007, months before the lawsuit was filed against Hallmark.