Posted on 08/22/2025 7:34:11 PM PDT by xxqqzz
A long-running battle between a pair of famed Italian eateries over the “Patsy’s” name has exploded once again, with a Harlem pizzeria with the name receiving a $300,000 penalty for repeatedly violating a two-decade old court order barring them from trademarking the disputed moniker.
Frank Brija, who owns uptown’s Patsy’s Pizzaria, was found in contempt of the court order for the third time since it was issued in 2001 — a move that will cost Brija $300,000, plus attorney’s fees, according to a decision released last week.
Patsy’s Pizzeria owner Frank Brija was found in contempt of an injunction for the third time since it was issued by a judge in 2001 — a move that will cost Brija $300,000, plus attorney’s fees.
Lawyers for rival Patsy’s Italian Restaurant said they hoped the “lofty” sanctions would put an end to the trademark drama.
The saucy drama has its roots in a 1999 lawsuit filed by Patsy’s Italian Restaurant on West 56th Street, a former Frank Sinatra favorite.
They initially sued the similarly-named Harlem pizza joint in 1999 for infringing on its trademark by using the Patsy’s name for jarred sauces that appeared eerily similar to their own.
In 2001, a judge issued a ruling barring the pizza shop from applying for any Patsy’s trademarks for packaged food products, a ruling that Brija violated three times since, records show.
The lawyer for Patsy’s Italian Restaurant told The Post that he hopes the hefty penalty will put an end to the drama over the “Patsy’s” trademark.
“Our client is pleased with the district court’s decision against a recidivist and further hopes that the lofty sanctions that the court imposed will finally, after well more than 20 years, result in complete and perpetual compliance with the Court’s 2001 injunction,”
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
Kimba Wood, where have I heard that name before? She’s stu on the bench?
Stu= still
I’m having a slight mental struggle with the phraseology “receiving” a $300,000 penalty.
Seems unfair. The pizza joint began in 1933, while the restaurant began 11 years later in 1944. Yet the pizza joint gets slapped with a penalty about trademarks?
Somone must not be buying Genco olive oil from the Corleone family.
This story reminds me of one of the subplots in the movie “Coming To America.”
The Big Mick. 😎
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray%27s_Pizza
Used to be dozens of them in 90’s NYC. Pretty much all independent.
Freegards
On this side of the country, there’s an eatery with a similar name, Patsy D’Amore’s Pizza in Farmer’s Market, a large food court on Third & Fairfax in Los Angeles. It has been there since 1949, and the family once owned the Villa Capri, a hangout for movie stars in Hollywood. Patsy’s serves excellent Italian food in a city not known for having great Italian cuisine.
If their logo isn’t the same it shouldn’t be an issue.
wy69
The Domino’s Pizza chain started by Tom Monaghan was meant to
highlight being subservient to God as was the founder. When Domino Sugar made some changes to add food items decades later it told him to stop using the name. He almost lost it after a court ruled against him but won a reversal later in court. Lawsuits from 1975 to 1980.
I walked or drove past the original Domino’s location many times.
The domino on the box has 2 dots and one dot. He started in Ypsilanti, MI and he soon had two places there followed by one in Ann Arbor. Now there are over 21,000 in 90 countries.
She was nominated to be AG for Clinton until they found out she had an illegal alien nanny. Enter Janet Reno. No nanny problems with that one
From the excerpt: They initially sued the similarly-named Harlem pizza joint in 1999 for infringing on its trademark by using the Patsy’s name for jarred sauces that appeared eerily similar to their own.
Sounds like it's not the name that is the issue, but marketing jarred sauces when they were banned from marketing packaged food from a prior injunction.
Wow, triple secret probation!
Make it 1 billion in fine.
Oh, that will be thr setuple probation after the guy dies.
$300K, thats a lot of PIE!
Its also a lot of dough!
Wonder why Charles Schultz didn't name it "Charlie Schultz". I visited the Charles Schultz Museum in Santa Rosa near San Francisco, a couple months ago. Impressive museum full of treasure and things to do. One area of memorabilia had drawers of family pictures. One was a 1920's picture of Charles Schultz as a toddler trying to kick a football while a grown relative held the football tip in place. A lot of his comic strips were recollections of real events in his life.
Charlie Brown was a composite of several people that Schulz had known. One was a well-meaning fellow named Charlie Brown for whom nothing ever seemed to go right.
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