In a Delicious Rivalry, Two Pierogi Festivals Fight Over a Shared Name

Whiting, Indiana and Edwardsville, Pennsylvania are embroiled in a duel of the dumplings. While located in different regions of the U.S., the two municipalities share a local tradition: They host annual festivals that celebrate Polish pierogies, which are fried dough morsels stuffed with meat, cheese, potatoes, fruits, and other fillings. Both events are called "Pierogi Fest"—and as Smithsonian reports, neither town is pleased about it. And now, they're in a nasty legal battle over the name.

Technically speaking, Whiting's Pierogi Fest—and its moniker, which the city trademarked in 2007—came first: Their event was launched more than two decades ago, whereas the inaugural Edwardsville Pierogi Festival took place in 2014. The following year, the Whiting-Robertsdale Chamber of Commerce—which runs Indiana's Pierogi Fest—sent a letter to their their dumpling-loving rivals in the Keystone State, threatening to sue them for infringing on their name.

The Edwardsville Hometown Committee—which runs Pennsylvania's Pierogi Fest—didn't comply with the request. So in June 2017, Whiting officials followed up with a second legal threat, which they mailed to the Edwardsville Hometown Committee and five of its sponsors. This move reportedly made some local businesses think twice about supporting the event.

Instead of backing down, Edwardsville officials flexed their own legal muscle: They filed a federal lawsuit against the Whiting Pierogi Fest's organizers, alleging that they "willfully and tortiously interfered with the Hometown Committee's relationship with sponsors" by "threatening them with liability for the claimed trademark infringement," according to The Chicago Tribune. They're requesting compensation for damages and attorney fees, and official legal permission to continue using the name Pierogi Fest.

Whiting officials—who, in recent years, also filed a successful infringement lawsuit against the Pittsburgh Pierogi Festival—say that the similarly named festivals cause "consumer confusion," even though Whiting's festival is much larger and more established than the one in Edwardsville. Meanwhile, pierogi lovers in Edwardsville argue that the two dumpling fests are held so far away from each other that having the same name shouldn't be a big deal.

The 2017 Edwardsville and Whiting Pierogi Fests have already passed, but the legal battle between the two towns rages on. Hopefully by the time the 2018 festivals roll around, the two municipalities will have finally settled their nasty dough-spute once and for all.

[h/t Smithsonian]