British restaurant chain Pho surrenders trademark after being slammed on TikTok for 'going after' independent Vietnamese businesses
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British-founded Vietnamese restaurant chain Pho has filed a request to surrender its trademark on the word 'pho', Femail can exclusively reveal. The UK chain, founded in 2005 by Stephen and Juliette Wall after they travelled to Vietnam and fell in love with the slow-simmered broth, has applied to drop the trademark following mounting backlash on social media.
![[Content creator Yen (pictured) gained over two million views on her TikTok slamming the company's trademark]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/10/22/09/91136467-13983129-image-m-10_1729587288417.jpg)
Critics threatened to 'boycott' the brand for restricting Vietnamese restaurant owners from using and profiting off the term 'pho' in their branding, despite phở being the national dish of the southeast Asian country. A representative told Femail: 'We have always loved the Vietnamese food and culture that Pho has been inspired by and have been listening to the comments from the past week.'.
![[Earlier this week, Pho clarified its trademark on its social media channels (pictured), saying: 'Pho exists because we love phở and want as many people as possible to enjoy it too']](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/10/22/09/91097861-13983129-image-a-5_1729587234479.jpg)
'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.'. Femail can exclusively reveal that Pho has filed a request to surrender its trademark after mounting criticism claiming it limits 'authentic' businesses from profiting off Vietnam's national dish. Pictured: Food items sold at Pho.
![[Pictured: A stock image of Vietnam's national dish - phở, which is typically filled with noodles, herbs, and meat]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/10/22/09/91136473-13983129-image-a-9_1729587274782.jpg)
It's a debate that roots back to 2013, when a small southeast London restaurant called Mo Pho said it had received a legal letter from Pho Holdings requesting it changes its name. Pho Holdings said it had trademarked the word 'pho' six years prior, a time when knowledge of the soup dish was limited in the UK, meaning only they could use the term in the title of a restaurant business.
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