Faberge Jewelry Sues Sheepshead Bay’s Faberge Lounge For Trademark Infringement
Faberge Lounge at 2007 Emmons Avenue is being sued by the 159-year-old luxury jewelry company of the same name for using its image and trademarked name in a “shameless” attempt to misappropriate the brand.
The suit, filed in Brooklyn Federal Court, alleges that the restaurant is using the name without permission to get a “free-ride” on their reputation. In addition to using the name, the restaurant has duplicated the jewelry business’ iconic purple and gold storefront stylings.
Faberge, the jewelry company born of the House of Faberge in 1855 that invented the famed ornamental eggs for Tsar Alexander III, claims that the restaurant is also flooding search engine results with ads for the restaurant, according to the Daily News.
The restaurant’s owners say it’s much ado about nothing, since they’re clearly not selling anything connected to the jewelry company.
They told the New York Post:
But owner [Vladislav] Yusufova ripped the lawsuit as ridiculous.
“We don’t sell eggs here,” he said. “We don’t sell jewelry. We sell French food in Sheepshead Bay. I don’t know why they are coming after us. I haven’t broken any laws here in America.”
Yusufova, originally from Azerbaijan, said that his lawyers would soon be in contact with Faberge’s legal team to sort out the mess. “We have this name legally, and we have nothing to do with them,” he said, noting that he’s been open for a year.
The restaurant opened in September 2013, replacing Fusion. It’s owned by the same people behind Signature, the restaurant next door that replaced Tzar. Tzar and Fusion were both shuttered after Superstorm Sandy ravaged the property.
