Hot dog stand calls rivals copycats

• Tweet

CHICAGO, Aug. 30 (UPI) -- A Chicago hot dog stand owner's lawsuits against two rival businesses alleges they are trying to confuse customers by using similar names.

Jim Christopoulos, owner of the 70-year-old Jim's Original Polish stand on Maxwell Street, accused the nearby Jim's Original Chicago and Jim's Original of Joliet, Ill., of trying to confuse customers by using similar names and promotional signs, the Chicago Sun-Times reported Tuesday.

The lawsuit against Jim's Original Chicago states the business offers similar products and uses "confusingly similar" signs reading "Original Maxwell Street Polish" and "Original Maxwell Street Pork Chops," indicating to customers that "there is a connection, affiliation or association" with Jim's Original Polish.

Jim's Original Polish registered the logo "Jim's Original" and the phrase "The original Maxwell Street Polish Sausage Stand" with the state in 2007.

"One thing is we don't want people to be deceived into thinking they are actually receiving products that originate from our company," plaintiff attorney Jin Kim said.

Mirza Husain, co-owner of Jim's Original Chicago, said his business name is also trademarked and any similarity to Christopoulos' business is unintentional.

The suit against Joliet's Jim's Original, which operates Jim's Original J Town in Chicago and a location in Indiana, accuses the business of claiming to sell the "Original Maxwell Street Polish."