“As a practicing trademark attorney and ardent fan of all things food here. The way Dave and his team responded to the chili crunch trademark controversy in last Friday’s episode was a masterstroke. To those who don’t know how the system works, it’s a good insight into the flaws of the trademark system and all of the comments about Dave being a “bully” could not be more unfounded. Refusing to enforce the mark at potentially great peril to your business shows you have actual skin in the game and care deeply about the AAPI community — something none of your larger competitors would do.
To everyone belly-aching about how the Momofuku team has handled it, I’ll put it In simple terms: Basically, the Momofuku Team just picked up a five-to-six figure tab (worth of legal fees) at dinner, and everyone who ate is complaining that Dave Chang didn’t pull out his credit card fast enough. If anything, the angry mobs trying to hurt his business are the real bullies. The Momofuku team and Mr. Chang should be commended for rightfully following the procedures of trademark law, picking up the tab on legal fees, and allowing any business to use the mark.
This was a thoroughly principled response and Momofuku, Mr. Chang and his team will always have my respect for this. To everyone hurling abuse at Chang and his team in these reviews: Inform yourselves of what just happened here. A move like this from a company is extremely rare.”
erjung145 via Apple Podcasts ·
United States of America ·
04/16/24