Trademark bully': Momofuku turns up heat on others selling 'chili crunch'

tptacek · a year ago

This is extraordinarily silly. Momofuku is not going to dominate the market for chili crisp, and that's what it's called: "chili crisp". Not "chili crunch". Just don't call your product that.

You might get hives from this kind of trademark hardball if Momofuku was the market leader. But they're not even a serious player. Lao Gan Ma owns the category.

softwaredoug · a year ago

It also seems like something you can learn to make yourself pretty easily?

Kluggy · a year ago

It is! I've made https://www.simplyrecipes.com/homemade-chili-crisp-recipe-74... recently to great success

killingtime74 · a year ago

They haven't got exclusive rights to the recipe, it's just the name

lgats · a year ago

MomoIP LLC only applied for the trademark about a week ago-- after Pont Neuf Productions LLC trademark of the term wasn't kept up-to-date and expired in February.

https://uspto.report/TM/98475401

killingtime74 · a year ago

Just to be clear this is just a trademark not the recipe or anything. Trademarks can be challenged, especially one this new. Just because it's been granted now doesn't really mean too much

p00b · a year ago

Also the one they do own (“chile crunch”) was ironically acquired as a result of their own infringement

> Momofuku acquired “chile crunch” in 2023 from the Denver company Chile Colonial, LLC as part of a legal settlement. Chile Colonial had taken legal action against Momofuku for “trademark infringement, unfair competition”, according to court documents.

xnx · a year ago

Momofuku probably thinking of how the non-trademark status of "sriracha" made it easier for competitors: https://www.lawinc.com/sriracha-trademark-history

The difference here seems to be that Momofuku is not the original or the most popular.

mvdtnz · a year ago

I've never heard of "chilli crunch" but the description and photos in this article indicate it's just a regular Chinese chilli oil, which is commonly very heavy on the solids. And obviously goes back a long time.

coffeebeqn · a year ago

Isn’t Lao Gan Ma like 30+ years earlier on this ?

alephnerd · a year ago

They use "Chili Crisp", not "Chili Oil".

coolsunglasses · a year ago

There's no difference, you can go look at an Amazon listing for Lao Gan Ma and it says this:

"Lao Gan Ma Spicy Chili Crisp (Chili Oil Sauce)"

softwaredoug · a year ago

These jars are clearly labeled “Momofuku”. I’m not even aware they’re called chili crunch. Momofuku clearly seems to be the actual trademark.

ukz · a year ago

And it’s not even original, they wanted customers to draw assocations between them and the famed Momofuku Ando.

alephnerd · a year ago

And they aren't even Asian owned. It's the family that own's Zabar's in Upper West Side that runs Momofuku. It's wannabe Asian food for Ang Mohs

Laoganma and 菜花香豉香朝天椒 are cheaper and tastier

https://www.fastcompany.com/90945101/momofuku-ceo-marguerite...

melq · a year ago

His first restaurant was called 'Momofuku Noodle Bar', named as an homage to Ando for inventing instant noodles/ramen. I don't think there were many Americans in 2004 (or today) who have even heard of Ando, I don't think he was trying to trade on his name.

ein0p · a year ago

Do yourself a favor and get acquainted with the same product from Laoganma. Goes well with everything from soups to roasted potatoes

jinushaun · a year ago

Get out of here. This is like trademarking “catsup”, which everyone also knows as ketchup.