World-renowned chef Gordon Ramsay has agreed to give the UK trademark for The Spotted Pig to the owners of a U.S. bar and restaurant bearing the name.
Ramsay was on the receiving end of a lot of criticism from fellow chefs – including Anthony Bourdain and Jamie Oliver – after he revealed plans to gain ownership of the trademark in the UK last year, Bloomberg reports.
However, a statement from Gordon Ramsay Holdings released yesterday (February 14th) said: “We have been liaising with The Spotted Pig in New York for some months and had arranged for the trademark to be passed to them once it was registered.”
Under the terms of the deal, the U.S. eatery – which is owned by chefs Mario Batali and April Bloomfield – has the right to use the name for the next ten years.
This means Mr. Batali and Ms. Bloomfield are now free to open up a restaurant in the UK under this name.
“Trademark disputes often take years to resolve and consume parties’ resources of both time and money. Kudos to Chef Ramsay for settling the issue in a timely fashion!” says Malia Horine, Brand Protection Expert at Corporation Service Company.