UK restaurant is letting go of its ‘pho’ trademark after massive backlash

U.K.-based Pho Restaurant reportedly filed a request to surrender its trademark on the word “pho” following intense backlash on social media.

What the restaurant is saying: Pho Restaurant trademarked the words “PHO,” “Pho” and “pho” in the 2000s — set for renewal on March 12, 2027 — to purportedly protect itself from competitors, such as a “large U.S. chain restaurant” that sought to enter the U.K. But after facing renewed criticism, the restaurant made the decision to give up its trademark. “We understand the concerns that have been raised and have today filed a request to the Intellectual Property Office to surrender our registered trademark on the use of ‘pho,’” a representative told Femail on Tuesday. The said office is expected to review the request in the days ahead.
The big picture: Founded in 2005 by Stephen and Juliette Wall, Pho Restaurant first faced significant backlash in 2013 after it reportedly asked a smaller Vietnamese-owned restaurant, Mo Pho, to change its name due to trademark infringement. The issue resurfaced earlier this month after a London-based Vietnamese TikToker, @iamyenlikethemoney, called out the restaurant in a video for trademarking a culturally significant word. She stressed that trademarking “pho” is akin to claiming ownership to “fish and chips,” “kebab” or “sushi,” which are likewise “generic” terms. The video has since gone viral, drawing over 2.6 million views and thousands of comments expressing similar sentiments. Prior to its decision to surrender its trademark, the restaurant released a statement saying that it would “never attempt” to trademark “phở” — Vietnam’s national dish and how it is spelled there — and that it “doesn’t belong to anyone but the people of Vietnam.”

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