Mo's Restaurants, an Oregon-based restaurant chain famous for its clam chowder, filed a trademark infringement lawsuit on June 28, 2005 in the United States District Court in Portland, Oregon against Moe's Southwest Grill, a restaurant chain based in Atlanta Georgia. According to Mo's, "[n]o matter how you spell it, there is only one Mo’s." Mo's decision to sue came after Moe’s Southwest Grill's aggressive expansion into Oregon and the opening of its first restaurant in Oregon in April 2005. Founded in 1952 by Mohava “Mo” Niemi, Mo’s operates six restaurants on the Oregon coast and has owned a federally-registered trademark for Mo's since 1986. The company employs approximately 350 people and serves 1.3 million customers a year. Moe's Southwest Grill, established in 2000 and has 229 restaurants across the country, plans to open 20 more restaurants in Oregon through its Pacific Northwest franchise holder, Wraps of the Northwest. Clam chowder, however, is not currently on Moe's menu.
Posted by franchiselawblog at July 7, 2005 03:42 PM