Godzilla's owners, Toho Co., Ltd., has dispatched their lawyers against a Maine eatery called "Grill Zilla BBQ," claiming trademark infringement. The offending logo is at right.
According to The Kennebec Journal of Augusta, Maine:
Getting a certified letter from a lawyer is rarely a pleasant experience. But when the lawyer represents Godzilla, well, you know you're in big, big trouble.
"I don't want to hire lawyers. But I am ready to call their bluff," said Sarah Burnham. "I mean do they really want to take this fight on? Do they really want to sue us?"
Apparently so. And here's why.
For the past five years, Burnham and her husband, Jay Swett, have owned and operated a thriving lunch-and-dinner stand out of an old Frito-Lay delivery truck on U.S. Route 1 just north of picturesque downtown Damariscotta.
Its name: Grill Zilla BBQ.
Its motto: "So good it's SCARY!"
Its logo: A smiling green creature with a red apron who, the way Burnham sees him, is part dinosaur, part alligator and part dragon. Or, as Swett sees him, "Tyrannosaurus rex on steroids."
Either way, the lawyers for Toho Co. Ltd., a Japanese entertainment conglomerate that owns the rights to the 56-year-old movie icon Godzilla, recently took a long look at Grill Zilla BBQ and saw trademark infringement.
To me, the logo bears no resemblance to Godzilla.
To read the full story, go here.