Wolfgang Zwiener, a former head waiter at Peter Lugars in Brooklyn, opened a couple of Steakhouses in Manhattan called Wolfgang’s and has recently opened one on Canon Drive in Beverly Hills. This location is uncomfortably close to Spago and Cut, owned by Wolfgang Puck and is the cause of much disputation and confusion!
I believe, due to the fact that one of the former licensees of the Spago trademark in Japan, which Wolfgang Puck chose not to renew, is involved in the company of Wolfgang Zwiener to be cause enough to believe their company is trying to benefit from the enormous name value of Wolfgang Puck. The fact that they have put Wolfgang Zwiener in such small font in their advertising and promotions and even on the entrance to the restaurant, might be construed as trying to cause confusion. Evidently, also in contention is a 2007 agreement in which Zwiener agreed to use his full name if he opened restaurants outside of Manhattan.
I think that Wolfgang Puck is absolutely right to defend his 32 years of “goodwill” against perpetrators, especially, in his home turf. I sincerely hope that he wins the lawsuit with minimum litigation.
Tags: Cut, Spago, Wolfgang Puck, Wolfgang Zwiener