Current Events > Chicago restaurant with Hawaiian name suing Hawaiian restaurants for using name

(+) Yeah! (+)

Said name: Aloha Poke, are two common words in Hawaii/Hawaiian culture.

Chicago-based Aloha Poke Co. has sent cease and desist letters threatening several businesses not to use the words 'Aloha' and 'Poke' because it's too close to their trademarked name. Now their Yelp page is flooded with 1 star reviews after the story was covered in the news and print.

Aloha Poke Co., the mainland company which serves poke bowls, an iconic Hawaiian dish, is popular among millennials who view the meal as healthy, tasty, and culturally exotic. Based in Chicago, with locations in Los Angeles, Denver, and Washington DC, the chain has seen immense backlash at what others call ironic: that they use the word Aloha whilst threatening to serve up lawsuits to anyone who tries to use the term.

It is unclear if the State of Hawaii will pursue legal action against the City of Chicago unless Aloha Poke Co. relents their current crusade.

HiddenRoar posted...

popular among millennials

I hope that they go outta bidness
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The words separately, or those two words in that order?

If separately, they're insane.

If "together and in that order", then they might have a case if there are businesses with the exact same name as them.

Both of those words fall under common usage, with poke being as common as "salad" here, and Hawai'i being "The Aloha State".
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Together. Although any variation expaning on that, say "Ono Aloha Poke", or "Island Aloha Poke", are up for C&D's for being 'too similar'.

Remember when Bethesda sued Mojang for using the name Scrolls?
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HiddenRoar posted...

Together. Although any variation expaning on that, say "Ono Aloha Poke", or "Island Aloha Poke", are up for C&D's for being 'too similar'.

Not good enough. Could kinda buy it if it was exact (and even then, it would probably be an older company than them), but I'm hoping the bad PR rips them to shreds.
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