University District bar suing NHL’s Seattle Kraken
Apr 23, 2021, 5:58 AM | Updated: 12:37 pm
The exterior of the Kraken Bar & Lounge in Seattle's University District. (Screengrab from KIRO 7 TV)
(Screengrab from KIRO 7 TV)
A University District punk rock bar, called The Kraken Bar & Lounge, is suing Seattle’s new hockey team for $3.5 million, alleging the organization is harming its brand.
In the lawsuit, the bar stated the name has caused confusion.
According to court documents filed Thursday afternoon, it claims some people think the bar is team sponsored, adding this is hurting a brand which it’s been building since 2011.
The lawsuit claims that when Seattle Hockey Partners announced it would call its hockey team the Seattle Kraken, the bar started getting new patrons visiting the bar in hockey-themed clothing and suggest the bar “could or would become their new ‘hockey bar.’”
It also stated in the papers, that “The Kraken Bar would or should become a ‘hockey bar’ or a sports bar of any kind was anathema to The Kraken Bar and its regular patrons.”
According to the plaintiffs, the final straw came when the “Kraken Bar and Grill” announced that it would open at the new training facility in Northgate.
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KIRO 7 reached out to Seattle’s new hockey organization that stated it has not been served the lawsuit yet and added it does not comment on legal action.
Written by KIRO 7 News Staff
