IHOP Restaurant Drops Trademark Lawsuit against Ministry
IHOP the pancake restaurant chain recently dropped its lawsuit against IHOP the church, according to court records.
The International House of Pancakes dismissed the case on Dec. 21, saying that it opted for "ongoing mediation with the defendants," according to documents filed at a Los Angeles federal court. Restaurant spokesman Patrick Lenow told the Los Angeles Times that the two parties have agreed to not talk about the case publicly.
IHOP had filed a lawsuit against the International House of Prayer, an evangelical missions organization headquartered in Kansas City, Mo. with affiliates in California, in September over trademark infringement. Both the pancake house and missions organization share the same acronym, causing concern that the business' customers might be confused or think that the restaurant chain was linked to a particular religion.
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Throughout the lawsuit, IHOP the ministry has chosen to remain mum and never filed a response in court. A request from The Christian Post earlier this year to IHOP the ministry for a response to the lawsuit was also denied.
The court document said the dismissal is "without prejudice," which means it could be filed again later.
