The old school guys who founded these dueling eateries more than a half century ago never heard of Twitter, but they must be spinning in their graves over the latest skirmish involving rights to use the famed name Patsy’s.
A cease-fire in the long-running legal war over the money-making moniker has broken down, with the owner of Patsy’s Pizzeria in East Harlem slinging new accusations that Patsy’s Italian Restaurant in Midtown is using the term “patsysnyc” as its Twitter handle in violation of a court order. The venerable restaurant’s tweets include celebrity sightings and wine specials.
Pizza guy Frank Brija further contends in court papers that the restaurant, through “repeated retaliatory actions,” has also applied for trademarks which include Patsy’s Restaurant, The Real Patsy’s, The One and Only Patsy’s and The Original Patsy’s.
So what’s the beef?
In response to a 2006 trademark lawsuit and a confusing jury verdict in a 2008 civil trial over the matter, Brooklyn Magistrate Judge Ramon Reyes ruled that the Frank Sinatra hangout on W. 56th St., founded in 1944 by the late Pasquale (Patsy) Scognamillo, must call itself Patsy’s Italian Restaurant.
The eight pizzerias, opened in 1933 by the late Pasquale (Patsy) Lanceri at its anchor location on First Ave. and E. 118th St., must call itself Patsy’s Pizzeria, the judge decreed.
Neither can use the name Patsy’s alone, which leads to the latest outbreak of accusations.
“Honest to God, I don’t know what’s in their mind,” Brija told the Daily News on Friday. “We’re only selling pizzas, we’re not inventing the wheel, why can’t we just get along?”
Brija’s lawyer complained that the Midtown restaurant, which does not serve pizza, is also blocking the pizzeria’s application for the trademark to “Patsy’s Pizzeria” to prevent them from peddling frozen pizzas under that name in supermarkets.
“It’s become personal,” lawyer Paul Grandinetti said. “They should just be mature and accept the fact that there’s a Patsy’s Pizzeria that the public likes and it’s not hurting their restaurant.”
The lawyer for Patsy’s Italian Restaurant did not return a call seeking comment, but he filed court papers accusing the pizzeria of regurgitating stale allegations that they have made in the past.
Reyes, who has tried to act like a Solomon with a pizza cutter while expressing frustration with the incessant food fighting, scheduled a session Friday for the pizzeria to file a motion of contempt of the court order. Meanwhile, Brija is planning to expand his pizza empire to two new locations upstate early next year.
The last dustup occurred in 2009, when Reyes ordered the pizzeria to remove the words “Trattoria Impazzire” — “Restaurant Without Competition” in Florentine dialect — from the awning of Brija’s Long Island eatery, which has since closed.
