hospitalitystyle.com

(March 2010) posted on Thu Mar 11, 2010 EST

New York locale retains Tavern on the Green name, while Cipriani in London to rebrand

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The name will apparently remain the same at New York's famed Tavern on the Green restaurant, while the high-profile Cipriani restaurant in London will begin operating under a new moniker next month.

In New York, a U.S. district judge ruled that the city owns the Tavern on the Green name, Nation's Restaurant News reports. The case pitted the city against the heirs of Warner LeRoy, who operated the Central Park restaurant until the end of last year.

The LeRoy family argued that Warner LeRoy had had the name trademarked more than 30 years ago and, as a result, was the rightful owner. However, in her ruling, the judge noted that the city established the restaurant more than 35 years before LeRoy registered the name.

The LeRoy family said it might appeal this latest ruling. Meantime, the restaurant is slated to open later this year, after undergoing an extensive renovation by new owner Dean Poll, who also operates the Central Park Boathouse.

In London, the operator of the Cipriani restaurant in London's Mayfair district said that restaurant would begin operating under a new name on April 24. At the same time, the entity operating the restaurant, Cipriani (Grosvenor Street) Ltd., filed for administration, the U.K version of a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing.

In a press release, Cipriani family said the filing for administration is designed “to protect its assets. The administration process will continue while the company pursues any appeal to the Supreme Court in the U.K. litigation and trademark dispute against Orient Express Hotels at OHIM, the Office of Harmonization in the Internal Market (EU).”

Last month, a British appeals court ruled that the Cipriani family can no longer use its surname on the restaurant, as it infringes on a trademark owned by Orient-Express Hotels, owner of the iconic Hotel Cipriani in Venice.