Mister Softee Copycat Master Softee Banned from NYC

Master Softee trucks, the Mister Softee knockoffs that appeared in New York this season, are no longer allowed to peddle their soft serve on the streets of New York. After the original 58-year-old Mister Softee company sued Master Softee owner Dimitrios Tsirkos (who happens to be a former Mister Softee vendor) for trademark infringement, a judge has ruled that the Master Softees are an "obvious" ripoff of the original and banned them from the city. As of the weekend, however, the Daily News reports that the copycats are still out there, and a private detective for Mister Softee has begun collecting evidence of the rogue trucks still operating against court orders.

The Master Softee trucks are indeed very similar to the iconic originals. They have the same blue and white paint job, the same script lettering, and the same ice cream cone mascot. There are, however, a few key differences to note besides the telltale "a" in place of an "i." For starters, the grinning ice cream cone man on the side of the Master Softee truck has a sugar cone for a body instead of a cake cone. He also has rainbow sprinkles on his face, while the original is plain vanilla. Second, take a look at the hood of the truck: Master Softee's reads "The World's Best," while the original Mister Softee is simply "The Very Best."
· Master Softee Spinoff Banned by Judge [NYDN]
· All Coverage of Master Softee [~ENY~]