Update 3:33 PM After reviewing the complaint, I note the following: 1) Chow Foods only recently sought registrations of “Chow” and “Chow Foods” – having done so on 8/21/09 and 2) Chao may have been able to avoid this suit – had they been more responsive to Chow Foods and forthcoming about their opening date.
A major followup this afternoon to our Chow Foods responds to Chao story : CHS has learned that a lawsuit was filed just yesterday. An operator of neighborhood restaurants all across Seattle, Chow Food Management Services LLC , is suing Yamashiro’s LLC dba Chao Bistro-Bar (the new restaurant that opened at 12th & Pike today). We are working right now to get a copy of the full complaint, but a watchlist of newly filed lawsuits summarizes this one as alleging trademark infringement.
That is ridiculous. No one would confuse the two unless they were retarded.
I was actually wondering when this would happen!
So even though they are spelled differently. Even though Chow Foods doesn’t even actually have any restaurants by that name. And even though they are completely different styles of eateries, they are suing these people for copyright infringement? I’m glad Coastal Kitchen isn’t part of that family anymore or I might protest them just for the ridiculousness of this.
…because I was surprised to see the new Chao/Chow name, and figured either Chow Foods was going in a really different direction, or some dingbat didn’t do some simple market research before naming their new place.
Seriously, how hard is it to name a new asian fusion bistro without stepping on someone’s toes?
Oh, and seadevi… you have both of those links going to chowfoods.com. :-)
thanks for the heads up – all fixed
but chao? and after all the publicity now? i don’t see how someone’s going to be confused about this new restaurant. i can’t see someone saying, “oh, chao, they must be owned by chow foods. i like their other restaurants, let’s go to this one.”
while not a legal genius, i can’t see how this lawsuit would hold any merit.
I’m no longer giving you my business.
Just now on the radio…”Support for this program comes from “chow foods…seattle’s neighborhood restaurants” and you guys are pissed they are complaining/filing a suit? Get educated on how visible Chow Foods is as a restaurant group, despite not having a property of that name. Reading the web site of the same CHOW name, Coastal Kitchen is NOT a chow restaurant anymore.
I am no longer patronizing any Chow Foods establishment. I do not support gratuitous lawsuits. Please join me in a boycott of the remaining Chow Foods restaurants (5 Spot, Atlas, Endoline Joes, Hi-Life).
That goes a little far.
Ciao Bella in Wedgwood has a whole chain of restaurants? And why are they suing their own new bistro/bar? This makes no sense.
Please join me in boycotting Ciao Bella and their entire chain of franchised restaurants for filing these ridiculous frivolous lawsuits against themselves!! This includes the Chao Praya restaurant in Madrona.
Wait. I think I get it now. Chowhound.com is suing Pho My Chau on MLK for plagiarizing the Chow section of The Stranger to promote Chau Cafe Deli on Rainier. I can’t help but suspect Seattle school board member Cheryl Chow is behind this.
Chow foods, you are being petty and ridiculous. Give a new business a chance. Shame on you, and you have lost this customer’s business.
By educated you mean agree with you…
Chow is a pretty generic word and is not synonymous with Chow Foods.
I am thinking this will be a string of lawsuits against:
http://www.yangchow.com/
http://www.hochow.com/
Mr Chow in Beverly Hills http://www.mrchow.com/main.html
Chow’s Asian Bistro http://www.mychows.com/
and so many others around the country.
Defendants will be asked to change their names.
This reminds me of the lawsuit Spike Lee filed against Spike TV back in 2003 (See link below). Again, ridiculous and absurd.
http://www.dailyhaggis.com/2003/07/08/spike-lee-vs-spiketv-l