April 30, 2021
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Lucali may be Brooklyn’s most legendary pizzeria, with patrons often waiting hours for a seat at the exclusive eatery. While the restaurant has gained notoriety for its thin-crust goodness, it is now making headlines in connection with a legal dispute fraught with family drama. As reported by the New York Post, Mark Iacono, the restaurant’s owner, has commenced a lawsuit against his cousin, Dominic Cavagnuolo, regarding the trademark, “Lucali”.
The dispute between the cousins arose in April 2011, when Iacono was in the process of applying for a trademark registration for the Lucali name. Iacono was sidelined due to a medical event and Cavagnuolo offered to assist with the application. According to Iacono’s claim filed with the Brooklyn Federal Court, Cavagnuolo improperly listed a company he controlled as the owner of the Lucali name. In 2013, Iacono opened a second Lucali location in Miami and Cavagnuolo invested in the expansion. The cousins revisited the trademark issue and Cavagnuolo allegedly agreed to revise the trademark so that Iacono was listed as the sole owner. However, the New York Post reports that Iacono’s name never appeared on the trademark.
According to Cavagnuolo’s attorney, Iacono has commenced two lawsuits against his cousin and has been unsuccessful in each instance. There are also reports that the pair executed a business agreement which provided that both parties had a right to the Lucari name. Iacono is requesting that the court declare him the sole owner of the Lucari trademark. It is now in the Court’s hands whether Iacono and/or Cavagnuolo will be listed as owners of the trademark.
Authors: Maddie Warren and Scott Kerr
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