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This March 4, 2020 photo shows a Panda Express restaurant in Phoenix. Getting a trademark for the new name can lead to ugly and sometimes public clashes over ownership and cultural appropriation. In recent years, businesses have butted heads over whether a restaurant or food truck can legally own the right to use words rooted in Asian American Pacific Islander cultures like “aloha" and “poke.” (AP Photo/Terry Tang)

This March 4, 2020 photo shows a Panda Express restaurant in Phoenix. Getting a trademark for the new name can lead to ugly and sometimes public clashes over ownership and cultural appropriation. In recent years, businesses have butted heads over whether a restaurant or food truck can legally own the right to use words rooted in Asian American Pacific Islander cultures like “aloha" and “poke.” (AP Photo/Terry Tang)

March 10, 2020

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Panda and poke: Restaurant trademarks can stir legal fights
March 10, 2020 12:38 p.m.

Panda and poke: Restaurant trademarks can stir legal fights

GILBERT, Ariz. (AP) — When picking a name for their Asian-Mexican fusion restaurant in suburban Phoenix, Paul and Nicole Fan settled on “Panda Libre,” hoping the mix of China's iconic bear and the Spanish word for “free" would signal to customers the type of cuisine it offered.