Dutch Kills Owner Sues Dutch Kills Centraal Team

Richie Boccato, the cocktail wizard behind Dutch Kills, is suing the owners of five-month-old Long Island City tavern Dutch Kills Centraal for ripping off his bar's name. Although Dutch Kills is actually an old-timey name for the neighborhood, Boccato's lawyer sent the rival bar owners a cease and desist letter that explained: "You do not have permission to use the mark in connection with your business...You are instructed to cease and desist all use of the mark." Three days after receiving this letter, the owners of the new bar applied for a "Dutch Kills" trademark, and they have not altered the name of the tavern or its signage since.

Dutch Kills Centraal owner Dominic Stiller plans to keep fighting for the right to keep his bar's name exactly as it is. The restaurateur tells the Post: "Dutch Kills has been here for 400 years...We don't want to be stifled by a self-interested mixologist. If he wins this lawsuit that means there can never be a Dutch Kills bakery, a Dutch Kills restaurant, a Dutch Kills caterer." After engaging with his neighborhood rivals, Boccato also filed an application for a Dutch Kills trademark.
· NYC Mixologist Suing Rival Bar For Ripping Off Name [NYP]
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