Momofuku says it won’t enforce ‘chili crunch’ trademark [Video]

Momofuku will not be enforcing its trademark on “chili crunch” after a fiery backlash from the Asian American community.

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The details:

“I spent the greater part of my adult life trying to bring light to Asian food, Asian American food, Asian identity, what it means to be Asian American. I understand why people are upset and I’m truly sorry.”

“When we acquired this mark (“chile crunch”), it then became our job to protect it. The reason we received a cease-and-desist from Chile Colonial is the same exact reason that Momofuku was sending them out, which is if you don’t show the USPTO (United States Patent and Trademark Office) that you’re routinely defending your mark — and that’s from any size business, large, small — then you’re at risk of losing your trademark.”

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