{"id":965,"date":"2024-04-26T13:23:57","date_gmt":"2024-04-26T17:23:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/norrismclaughlin.com\/mtym\/?p=965"},"modified":"2024-04-26T13:40:25","modified_gmt":"2024-04-26T17:40:25","slug":"chili-competition-momofuku-no-longer-enforcing-chile-crunch-trademark","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/norrismclaughlin.com\/mtym\/trademark-infringement\/chili-competition-momofuku-no-longer-enforcing-chile-crunch-trademark\/","title":{"rendered":"Chili Competition: Momofuku No Longer Enforcing \u2018CHILE CRUNCH\u2019 Trademark"},"content":{"rendered":"

As of April 12, 2024, David Chang and the Momofuku brand stated they no longer intend to enforce the pending “CHILI CRUNCH” and registered \u201cCHILE CRUNCH\u201d trademarks in response to widespread backlash. Momofuku acquired the rights to \u201cCHILE CRUNCH\u201d with an \u201cE,\u201d in 2023 and began the filing process for \u201cCHILI CRUNCH\u201d with an \u201cI\u201d on March 29, 2024.<\/p>\n

The Asian American and culinary communities criticized Chang’s trademark registration of the phrase “CHILE CRUNCH,” claiming that enforcement of this mark would negatively impact family-owned businesses that also create and sell the condiment. “CHILE CRUNCH” refers to a product that is also known as chili crisp, namely an oil and chili pepper-based condiment that has gained popularity in recent years, with brands such as Trader Joe\u2019s and Williams Sonoma making their own versions. The controversy around the mark arose when many mom-and-pop businesses received cease and desist letters from Momofuku for violating their registered \u201cCHILE CRUNCH\u201d and pending \u201cCHILI CRUNCH\u201d trademarks.<\/p>\n

Momofuku purchased the trademark from Chile Colonial, LLC, founder of the Denver-based business \u201cCHILE CRUNCH\u201d (also referring to themselves as \u201cthe original chile crunch,\u201d<\/a> who had registered the mark in 2015 for her Mexican cuisine-inspired condiment. After initially receiving a refusal based on the mark being \u201cmerely descriptive,\u201d Chile Colonial responded with the argument that the mark has acquired distinctiveness through the company’s substantially exclusive and continuous use in commerce over time.<\/p>\n

According to online sources, on April 12 Momofuku released a statement<\/a> acknowledging that the phrase \u201cCHILI CRUNCH\u201d carries a broader meaning for the community and that they do not wish to \u201cown\u201d a culture\u2019s terminology. They stated the following:<\/p>\n

We believed the name CHILI CRUNCH reflected the uniqueness of our product, which blends flavors from multiple culinary traditions.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

They will no longer be enforcing the marks to allow other brands to create their own products and help make American grocery stores more diverse places.<\/p>\n

If you have any questions about trademark registration or enforcement, please feel free to contact me<\/a> at dmdefilippis@norris-law.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Danielle thanks Sajani Patel for her contributions to this blog.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As of April 12, 2024, David Chang and the Momofuku brand stated they no longer intend to enforce the pending “CHILI CRUNCH” and registered \u201cCHILE CRUNCH\u201d trademarks in response to widespread backlash. Momofuku acquired the rights to \u201cCHILE CRUNCH\u201d with an \u201cE,\u201d in 2023 and began the filing process for \u201cCHILI CRUNCH\u201d with an \u201cI\u201d […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":74,"featured_media":966,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[62,27,118,46],"tags":[485,484,483,482],"coauthors":[474],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nChili Competition: Momofuku No Longer Enforcing \u2018CHILE CRUNCH\u2019 Trademark - More Than Your Mark\u00ae<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/norrismclaughlin.com\/mtym\/trademark-infringement\/chili-competition-momofuku-no-longer-enforcing-chile-crunch-trademark\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Chili Competition: Momofuku No Longer Enforcing \u2018CHILE CRUNCH\u2019 Trademark\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"As of April 12, 2024, David Chang and the Momofuku brand stated they no longer intend to enforce the pending “CHILI CRUNCH” and registered \u201cCHILE CRUNCH\u201d trademarks in response to widespread backlash. 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