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>The Applebee's restaurant chain
>recently threatened to take a small-time tavern to court if it fails to
>remove its "Neighborhood Bar & Grill" sign. In a "cease and desist"
>letter to the Peanut, Applebee's general counsel Robert T. Steinkamp
>explained that the chain had obtained federal trademark registrations
>encompassing the slogan 'Neighborhood Grill & Bar' and was pursuing the
action to protect its trademark and neighborhood concept (Kansas City
>Star, 12/09/98).
Speaking of neighborhood bars and such, a really nice book for anyone
concerned about community livability is "A Great Good Place" by Ray
Oldenburg. It's all about the missing "third place" (not work, not home)
where people can congregate and socialize with others from different
backgrounds and ages. It discusses the various kinds of "third places"
that most societies have developed at one time or another (tea houses,
coffee houses, bistros, pubs, ...) because it's a real and persistent human
need. (I don't think Applebee's would qualify, although I hope they don't
sue me saying so.)