NEW YORK — MindGeek last month sent a formal cease-and-desist letter to New York City kebab restaurant Döner Haus over its logo, which replicates the color and font design of the trademarked Pornhub logo.
Pornhub’s parent company requested that the German street food restaurant, located in Manhattan’s East Village, stop using its black and orange logo because it could cause customer confusion due to it having the same look and feel — “trade dress” in trademark language — as the tube site’s, Chelsea News reported.
According to MindGeek’s counsel, Döner Haus “is displaying and using a logo and trademark which has the same general look and feel as the Pornhub Trademarks on its social media accounts.” The letter demanded that the restaurant change logos or else face legal action “without further notice or delay.”
The restaurant’s attorney replied, “Döner Haus not only disagrees with your assessment of the alleged trade dress infringement of your client’s Pornhub trade dress, but considers the same to be so incredible as to be beyond the pale. We consider the matter to be closed.”
According to MindGeek, the restaurant’s trade dress may cause consumers to “believe that the entity Döner Haus is affiliated with, sponsored by, endorsed or in some way approved” by the company.