Celebrity chef David Chang, the founder of the famed Momofuku restaurant empire, inadvertently caused a social media storm earlier this month when his company attempted to enforce a trademark for the phrase âchili crunch,â even going so far as to issue cease-and-desist orders to other condiment brands using the term.
It wasnât long before Chang was roundly clowned upon byâŚseemingly the entire internet. Critics rightly pointed out how absurd it was to attempt to trademark such a generic termâafter all, the beloved condiment chili crisp has been around since long before Chang manufactured his signature Momofuku Chili Crunch, and there doesnât seem to be much of a distinction between âchili crunchâ and âchili crispâ (or a danger of consumers mistaking other brandsâ offerings for Momofukuâs, for that matter). The fact that Momofuku was using this as an excuse to tear down small AAPI-owned businesses was also not a great look, to say the least. Consumers even called for a boycott of Momofuku products, with many retailers vowing not to stock goods from the business in response to the decision.
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