It’s a lot of fabric!
The ongoing dispute between notable Italian restaurants over the “Patsy” name has flared up again. Harlem Pizzeria has been hit with a $300,000 fine for repeatedly breaching a two-year-old court order that prevents the trademarking of the name.
Frank Blija, who operates Patsy’s pizzeria in Uptown, has been accused of violating this court ruling for the third time since it was issued in 2001. The penalty includes legal fees amounting to $300,000, based on a decision announced last week.
This drama actually dates back to a 1999 lawsuit from Patsy’s Italian restaurant on West 56th Street, a place that was once frequented by Frank Sinatra.
They originally initiated legal action against the Harlem-based pizzeria over alleged trademark infringement tied to jarred sauces that echoed their own brand.
A judge prohibited the Harlem Pizza Joint from seeking Patsy’s trademarks on packaged food items in 2001, but Blija has flouted this ruling multiple times, records indicate.
A representative for Patsy’s Italian restaurant expressed hope that the significant penalties would finally resolve the trademark disputes.
“Our clients are satisfied with the district court’s ruling against repeat offenders and hope that these hefty sanctions will ensure compliance with the injunction established over two decades ago,” the representative shared with the press.
On the flip side, Adem, Blija’s son and manager of the original Patsy’s pizzeria in Harlem, feels it’s unfair they can’t use the trademark. He noted that the original Patsy’s was established in 1933, while the Italian restaurant opened its doors in 1944.
“The judge acknowledges our wrongdoing, yet it seems these applications were solely for selling frozen pizza—a product we’re not associated with,” he remarked. “It’s like it’s stripped away our identity. It feels like a lifetime of penalties for my dad.”
Patsy’s Pizza, founded in East Harlem, is among the remaining coal-fired pizza establishments in the city.
Federal judge Kimba M. Wood remarked on the ambiguity in Blija’s defense against the recent violation, calling the longstanding rule “incredible.”
One of his trademark breaches occurred in the last two years, according to a ruling from a Manhattan federal court.
“Frank Blija has been subjected to substantial sanctions, making adherence to the injunction more financially viable than continuing these violations,” Judge Wood declared in her decision announced on August 15.
Though she acknowledged evidence proving Blija’s infringement on the third injunction, the judge temporarily took over the appeal from Patsy’s Italian restaurant regarding the rival pizzeria’s liabilities.
In another aside, last year, Patsy’s Italian restaurant faced a lawsuit from an Albanian employee alleging wage theft and discriminatory remarks.
Adem mentioned plans for future expansion of their brand, with 17 locations currently, and expressed intentions to seek judicial approval before pursuing a new trademark.
“I’m not lying when I say a $300,000 penalty feels exorbitant,” he commented.
Yet, he struggles to see any confusion between the two establishments.
“I don’t usually boast, but we’ve always been viewed as among the top pizza spots in New York,” he said, highlighting their uniqueness in serving coal oven slices. “They cater to a theater crowd with tuxedoed waiters. I prefer to observe from a distance.”
