Barbie Doll and "barbie-Q" are not the same

by Nick Vagnoni, Posted Jun 6th 2006 @ 3:03PM

A chain of Canadian restaurants can continue to use the name Barbie's, despite complaints from toymaker Mattel. Canada's Supreme Court recently decided that the Montreal-based steak restaurants have nothing to do with the doll. Mining the decision for a bit of humor, Justice Ian Binnie read a dictionary definition of Barbie as "a female who is superficially attractive in a conventional way, especially with blue eyes and blond hair, but who lacks personality," Reuters reported. "In that regard, the association of the Barbie doll with food might be taken as a warning of blandness," he added. The same court also ruled that a Canadian line of women's clothing can continue to use the name Cliquot, which is only one c away from the name of the famous champagne house. Bloomberg also reports.

Filed Under: Business, Chefs & Restaurants, Restaurants
Tags: barbecue, barbie, Barbie's, canada, grill, infringement, name, restaurant, ruling, supreme court, toy, trademark