Dueling pierogi events in legal food fight

Empanadas, pot stickers, meat pies, and pierogis — every culture has its own breaded meat-filled delicacy, but when it comes to the festivals celebrating them imitation is not the sincerest form of flattery.

An Edwardsville, Pennsylvania-based pierogi festival is being accused of trademark infringement by the Whiting-Robertsdale Chamber of Commerce in Whiting, Indiana, which runs Pierogi Fest. Pierogi Fest recently sent a letter requesting that the Edwardsville festival pay a licensing fee or drop the name, according to reports from PhillyVoice.com.

Lawyers for the Edwardsville festival filed a lawsuit in federal court on Monday against the organizers of the event. In 2007 the Whiting-Robertsdale Chamber of Commerce registered “Pierogi Fest” as a trademark. Their attorneys are threatening to sue the event organizers and sponsors, stating that that Edwardsville’s festival is “likely to cause consumer confusion,” reports PhillyVoice.com.

“No person on planet Earth is going to confuse the Edwardsville Pierogi Festival with a suburban Chicago 'Pierogi Fest,’” Jim Haggerty, attorney for the Edwardsville group, told PhillyVoice. “We don't think they're acting in good faith, and we think they're bullies,” he said.