May 10, 2007
Family Feast Leads to Legal Action
A remote pub in North Yorkshire, England is savoring the flavor of victory after fending off an attack by mega-bucket titan Kentucky Fried Chicken for having a traditional Christmas Day Family Feast on the menu.
One of the pub’s landlords, Tracy Daly says she’s dumbfounded. “They are a multi-million-pound, international organization and I’m a little lady up a mountain,” she said.
London solicitors Freshfields sent a letter to Daly and her partner Mike Pearce warning them to drop the name from their traditional Christmas menu and promotions. Daly said she thought the letter was an April Fool’s joke.
“Our Family Feast is a traditional Christmas dinner - paté, turkey, roast beef and the trimmings, Christmas pudding. It’s about as similar to a KFC meal as chalk is to cheese,” explained Daly. “Chicken and chips with a salad is on the menu, but we use local, free-range birds - no coating, no secret spices.”
Apparently KFC was concerned that locals might confuse the annual pub meal with the “Family Feast” buckets on offer at their restaurants. A KFC spokesperson said: “Family Feast is a registered trade mark of Kentucky Fried Chicken (Great Britain) Limited. KFC devotes significant resources to promoting and protecting its trade marks.”
Lucky for Daly, KFC have apparently had a change of heart, “They have very kindly said we can continue using the name. Common sense has prevailed,” she said. “I’m very relieved and ecstatic. I’ve invited KFC to come here and have a meal and shake hands.”
“KFC has spoken to Mrs Daly at the Tan Hall Inn and confirmed that it will not take this case any further. This means that Mrs Daly can continue to use the phrase ‘family feast’ on the pub’s Christmas menu. It’s an unusual situation that has been blown out of all proprotion,” a KFC spokesperson told the BBC today.
One-Legged Driver Shakes Florida Cops
A driver with no arms and just one leg lost Pasco County Police in a high-speed chase - and it isn’t the first time.
Police are seeking an arrest warrant for Michael Wiley, after a police office in New Port Richey, Miami saw Wiley in a suspicious vehicle outside a convenience store. The officer attempted to investigate, and Wiley took off - leading police on an eight minute chase before losing them.
Wiley overcame three amputations and learned to drive with his stumps. Since then, Wiley has become one of the county’s worst traffic offenders. In 1998, Wiley led police on a 120mph chase along Interstate 75 - and according to court records, he’s stolen a car, kicked a state trooper and head butted his own wife.
A longtime acquaintance, Lee Michie said: “He is one of the best drivers I’ve ever seen in my life, but he is the worst person I’ve ever met.”
Wily indeed.
