HoB Sues Club Owner

A Boston nightclub owner is being sued by the House of Blues chain for trademark infringement and deceptive practices because the name of his club is too similar to HoB’s VIP rooms.

The subjects of the lawsuit are George Lewis, owner of the Foundation Lounge, and the Boston University-owned Hotel Commonwealth, where the nightclub is located, according to the Boston Herald.

The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court, claims Lewis and the other parties “acted with willful and wanton or in reckless disregard for the rights of the House of Blues.” The suit also claims bar patrons could be confused by the similarity in names and asks for a court order prohibiting Lewis from using the Foundation Lounge name or the word “Foundation.”

A hearing has been scheduled for May 4th to determine if the parties can settle their differences out of court, the paper said.

Lewis, who opened the nightclub last April, told Pollstar he could not comment due to the pending litigation.

Pollstar‘s attempt to reach a House of Blues representative was unsuccessful at press time.