Hard Rock Vs. Hard Rock

Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas has indicated it plans to defend itself against a lawsuit recently filed by Hard Rock Café International over their shared name.

Representatives for Morgans Hotel Group Co., which owns the Vegas property, issued a brief statement Sept. 24 that said the company believes the action is “without merit.”

Hard Rock Café International filed suit over the reality television show “Rehab: Party at the Hard Rock Hotel,” which the Orlando-based company claims has hurt the Hard Rock name by continuing to depict “offensive and depraved conduct” by staff at the Vegas property.

“Among other things, Rehab portrays [the hotel] as a destination that revels in drunken debauchery, acts of vandalism, sexual harassment, violence, criminality and a host of other behavior” that most consumers and business owners “would find unseemly and objectionable,” the suit says.

The suit seeks to end a longtime licensing agreement between the restaurant chain and hotel. If Hard Rock Café wins the suit, the hotel could be forced to change its name.