The Independent reports that a food truck owner in Modesto, California, who used the name “Flaco Taco” since 2022, received a cease-and-desist letter from a Chicago restaurant that holds the trademark registration for the said name.
The Chicago restaurant registered the “Flaco Taco” trademark in 2009. The food truck owner has until the end of 2025 to pick a new name or face a trademark infringement case. He has to spend around US$6,000 to update his food trucks, ordering apps, social media, and Google listings.
He also anticipates that his business will slow down while customers adjust to his new business name. He has asked the public for suggestions on the new name for his taco business.
This underscores the importance, not only of registering your trademarks, but also of making sure that the name you are using is not a trademark already registered by another entity.