The home and original restaurant of Kentucky Fried Chicken's Colonel Sanders has been publically listed for sale and is attracting buyers looking to leverage the iconic history of the location. Known as the Claudia Sanders Dinner House since 1959, it was named after Sanders' wife and operated as a family-owned private restaurant separate from the chain. However, KFC owner YUM! Brands, which does not own the property, is presenting strong intellectual property challenges to anyone who purchases the property looking to capitalize on the brand.
Partner Brad D. Rose, Chair of the firm's Intellectual Property practice, commented on the ongoing sale of the Sanders estate:
The restaurant has peacefully co-existed with the fast-food empire largely because the Sanders and Settles have never aggressively promoted the brand or touted it on social media. That could change – but it won't be easy to slap the Sanders name on other restaurants selling chicken, said Brad D. Rose, a trademark attorney at Pryor Cashman who isn't involved in the case. "Whoever is going to take on the Claudia Sanders name is probably in for an uphill and expensive battle," Rose said.
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