T.G.I. Fridays Lawsuit Update

Counsel for Defendants asked the Court to compel removal of Plaintiffs’ website (www.TGIFridayslawsuit.com) alleging the website contained false and misleading information and infringed on T.G.I. Friday’s trademark. Plaintiffs argued that the website was proper attorney advertising and would not infringe on Friday’s trademarks because the public would not be confused regarding who controlled the website. The website contains disclaimers specifically stating that, “This website is not affiliated or endorsed by TGI Fridays or tgifridays.com. This website provides information regarding a lawsuit filed against Riese Restaurants, the owner/operator of 10 TGI Fridays locations in Manhattan.” After a hearing, the Court denied Defendants’ request and allowed the website to remain active.