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Iceland Supermarket Can No Longer Tell Iceland, the Country, What to Do

José Andrés and Yotam Ottolenghi have some good-natured beef over paella, and more restaurant news today

Iceland Foods Supermarket loses EU trademark battle to Iceland, the country, famous for Reykjavik and Blue Lagoon Blue Lagoon: Getty Images; Iceland Foods: IStock; Composite: Eater London

U.K. supermarket no longer legally trumps a literal country

Iceland Foods, which operates Iceland supermarkets in the U.K., no longer holds the EU trademark on the word “Iceland,” which is, of course, a sovereign country. The EU Intellectual Property Organisation granted the food company said trademark back in 2014, but that trademark is now invalidated after the supermarket tried to stop the country from mentioning itself in a slogan, prompting the country to sue. Iceland’s foreign minister Guðlaugur Þór Þórðarson said: “…[I]t defies common sense that a foreign company can stake a claim to the name of a sovereign nation as was done.” Iceland, which memorably defeated England in football’s 2016 European Championships, has now claimed another victory; this one is rather less surprising, but Iceland Foods is able to appeal the ruling within the next two months. [Boing Boing]

And in other news...

  • Speaking of Ottolenghi, here’s an interview with hip hop star Loyle Carner about why he wrote a song about the former’s book, Jerusalem — and much more besides. [Eater London]
  • Chuku’s, the self-styled Nigerian tapas restaurant that has popped up all over the city, including in Hackney, will crowdfund for a permanent site. [The Caterer]
  • One time Masterchef winner Natalie Coleman will open an “immersive, theatrical”, restaurant in Waterloo as ‘resident chef.’ It is not, however, a permanent pop-up. [Hot Dinners]
  • A radio programme looks into the underrepresented, essential role of the kitchen porter. [BBC]
  • Answers on a postcard. [The Times]

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