The Aloha Poke Company is cracking down on any restaurants using, “Aloha,” and, “Poke,” in their names. All over the country, including Hawaii, restaurants have received cease and desist letters that threaten a lawsuit for trade mark infringement. One Chicago city councilman believes this is stealing a culture from the Hawaiian people.
Councilman Carlos Ramirez-Rosa told Hawaii News Now in reference of The Aloha Poke Company’s actions, “Not only do you want to steal someone’s culture and make money off of it, then you want to deny native people of their own ability to have their own livelihood.”
The Aloha Company has yet to retract the cease and desist orders.
