Pho Restaurant has given up its trademark on the Vietnamese word “pho” after receiving widespread international condemnation online. After almost two decades, Vietnamese businesses in the UK are finally able to have “pho” in their names without risking legal reprisal.
As per the UK’s Intellectual Property Office, Pho Restaurant filed a request to surrender its trademark on the word “pho” this Monday. The process was officially completed two days later on Wednesday, meaning the Vietnamese word is now free and available for all businesses in the UK to use.
Pho Restaurant’s trademark surrender was first reported by Daily Mail’s Femail, with a spokesperson telling them that the chain had “been listening to the comments from the past week” and “understand[s] the concerns that have been raised.”
Vietnamese TikTok creator iamyenlikethemoneyconfirmed the news as well, stating that Pho Holdings Ltd. informed her that it had filed to surrender its trademark. The controversy was initially brought to many TikTok …