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Food

King Taco Unleashes Wrath Upon Similarly-Named East Coast Taquería

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Photo by taberandrew via Flickr
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King Taco is displeased with the way some of his competitors are behaving. Owners of the prominent L.A. chain found out that a taquería in Chelsea, a small city near Boston, is operating under the too-similar-for-comfort name King Tacos, and has sued the East Coast eatery for trademark infringement.

Massachusetts business website Mass. Market reports that King Taco originally sent King Tacos a cease-and-desist letter in January, and was promised by King Tacos that action would be taken. When none was, lawyers for King Taco filed suit.

This is despite the fact that King Taco has no locations in Massachusetts -- or east of the Mississippi, for that matter. Owners of the local joint still felt that their trademark was being infringed:

King Taco’s lawsuit, filed May 4 in Boston federal court, says the California company intends to add restaurants in other states nationwide, although it gives no details about any rollout. The suit also claims the King Taco restaurants are widely-known across the country, especially to people in the Mexican restaurant business.
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No public response has yet been made by the Chelsea taco purveyor.

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