It hasn’t been a good year for Döner Haus, a purveyor of German-style kebab sandwiches that opened on 14th Street in March. First, its standing as the city’s sole authentic döner restaurant was challenged earlier this month by the arrival near Penn Station of German Doner Kebab, a global chain whose twin tag lines are “Kebabs done right” and “The kebab of the future.”
Now Döner Haus is being sued for copyright infringement. The New York Post reports that MindGeek, the parent company of the pornographic website, PornHub, is demanding that the sandwich shop change its logo.
MindGeek claims that Döner Haus’ white and yellow logo is too similar to the porn site, according to a cease and desist letter. …
“The same general look and feel” between Döner Haus and Pornhub’s emblems threatens to “cause confusion” and “deceive the public” about the companies’ distinct offerings – and “misappropriate the goodwill of the Pornhub Trademarks,” according to the July 17 letter.
The claims stunned the family-owned restaurant. …
“We remain mind-boggled as to why MindGeek decided to target us…We are in two completely different business sectors and we see no way how we can be confused with them,” said Pauline Phan, Döner Haus’s marketing manager.
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