Defending His "Cheeseburger"

Jimmy Buffett is very sensitive about "Cheeseburger In Paradise":

Lawyers for singer Jimmy Buffett gave a tiny roadside grill called Cheeseburgers 'n Paradise a choice: Change the name or face a trademark-violation lawsuit.

Owner Frenis Hoffman renamed the place Beef 'n Buns 'n Paradise this week, at least the second restaurant in two months to change its moniker under pressure from Buffett's lawyers.

"I'm feeling like a guppy in a tankful of sharks," Hoffman told The Frederick News-Post for a story published Thursday.

Lawyers for the famously laid-back singer accused the Hoffmans of using the name to ride the coattails of Buffett's 1978 hit, "Cheeseburger in Paradise," Hoffman said.

....Hoffman and his wife, Faye, opened their sandwich shop 10 years ago. Buffett launched his own chain of Cheeseburger in Paradise restaurants in August 2002. [AP]

Protecting his restaurant chain may be the ostensible reason for the suit, but the REAL reason is that "Cheeseburger In Paradise" is the last good song Jimmy Buffett wrote, so he's extra sensitive about it.

Article Author: Eric Olsen

Career media professional Eric Olsen is honored to be the founder and former publisher of Blogcritics.org, and former publisher of Technorati.com, which both rule. He is now editor, co-founder, and CEO of The Morton Report.

Visit Eric Olsen's author page — Eric Olsen's Blog