After 2 Year Trademark Battle, Camellia Grill Can Still Be Camellia Grill

After three years of lawsuit fun time, a federal court has decided that iconic Carrollton greasy spoon Camellia Grill can still be called the Camellia Grill, Richard Webster reports, with the current owner Hicham Khodr legally possessing trademark rights. In 2007, Khodr purchased the diner—which sat unopened for two years after Katrina— from Michael Shwartz along with trademarks, name, logo and a licensing agreement for franchising.  But a few years down the line, after Khodr expanded with a second location in the Quarter, things apparently soured:

In 2012, Shwartz filed a lawsuit to terminate their licensing agreement, claiming Khodr violated the terms by altering the restaurant's logo -- changing it from a square to a circle -- and failing to send a royalty check of $197.73.

Thus a vicious lawsuit battle for trademark rights began, with Khodr being forced to change the Quarter expansion's name to simply The Grill, before countersuing. The federal court has now ruled in favor of Khodr, calling Schwartz' legal actions to take back the trademark 'an acute case of sellers' remorse.'