BackEat & Drink » Food Culture » London Restaurant Trademarks ‘Pho.’ Social Media Battle Ensues.

London Restaurant Trademarks ‘Pho.’ Social Media Battle Ensues.

It may be hard to comprehend how a company can trademark a word as generic as ‘Pho.’ Apparently the British Intellectual Property Office disagrees as 6 years ago, they allowed a glitzy London chain, ‘Pho,’ to do just that.

In what’s become a public relations nightmare, last week the chain served a small Vietnamese restaurant, Mo Pho, with legal documents, claiming they had infringed on their trademark. The chain has since dropped the legal action but has sparked a debate about what kind of foods should be eligible for trademarking.

In an article in The Guardian, the author compares trademarking ‘Pho’ to ‘Pizza’ or ‘fish’n’chips.’ The owner of Pho claimed that they weren’t trademarking the dish, but rather the company name, to protect their brand. According to the company’s Twitter account, the trademarked the word when they were almost put out of business by another London restaurant using the same moniker.

After a tidal wave of negative social media posts, Pho announced that they were dropping their legal action against Mo Pho:

Pho’s marketing director, Libby Andrews, apologized for the action and hinted that it was taken a bit out of context, "We really didn't mean to suggest we had ownership of the national dish of Vietnam."

The Guardian concludes that while some suggest that ‘Pho’ is too generic to be trademarked, those reviewing the trademark application might not have known what ‘Pho’ was.

“Six years ago, how many people really knew what pho was? The head-banging foodie types, who congregate around the fabulous Vietnamese cafes on the Kingsland Road in North London knew about it, of course. But the rest of the country? Probably not. …The law…appears remarkably unresponsive to the fickleness of food trends.”

Stories like this can make one appreciate the brand lawlessness of Vietnam where this kind of dispute would never happen. Unless you’re a business owner, of course. Then you’re probably as mad as Tom and Jerry.

[The Guardian // Photo via sapuche]

Related Articles

in Food Culture

'Trendy' Elephant Poop Coffee Taking off in Vietnam

Vietnam is known for its cafe chồn, coffee beans that are ingested, pooped out by weasels and sold at prices far higher than the normal variety. Now, a Vietnamese breeder is adopting a similar techniq...

in Food Culture

10 of Hue's Most Delicious Dishes

You probably just finished lunch but this list of 10 iconic dishes from Hue should get you appetite going again. Food Republic’s Laurie Woolever recently visited Vietnam’s imperial capital on the look...

in Food Culture

2 Vietnamese Restaurants in Saigon, Hanoi Named Among Asia's 100 Best

Vietnam’s culinary prowess is no secret, with its traditional dishes helping to draw tourists from all over the globe. 

in Food Culture

5 Of Saigon’s Best Markets

When people think of Saigon, the iconic Bến Thành Market usually comes to mind. But while it’s rich in history, for locals, it’s little more than a tourist attraction. Vietnam Coracle recently took to...

in Food Culture

5 Unique Markets In The Mekong Delta

While the cities of Vietnam become hooked into the global supply chain, their culinary tastes are becoming more homogenous. From pizza to shopping in supermarkets, our diets are slowly moving in line ...

in Food Culture

5 Unique Spins On Phở That Can Be Found In Saigon

Phở is a known commodity. One of Vietnam’s most famous dishes and perhaps one of the world’s most famous soups, there are few mysteries (perhaps other than its origin) when it comes to the delicious b...

Partner Content