Hall and Oates Sue Over Granola

Daryl Hall, John Oates don't want granola to play off their name
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Mar 6, 2015 10:11 AM CST
Hall and Oates Sue Over Granola
In this May 20, 2008 file photo, Daryl Hall, left, and John Oates, recipients of BMI Icons awards, pose together before the 56th annual BMI Pop Awards in Beverly Hills, Calif.   (Chris Pizzello)

Hall and Oates "can't go for that" and are saying "no can do" to a granola-maker's Haulin' Oats cereal. The pop music duo has sued Brooklyn-based Early Bird Foods & Co. in federal court, accusing the company of violating trademark protections with its "phonetic play" on Daryl Hall and John Oates' names. The suit called it "an effort to trade off of the fame and notoriety" associated with the duo. In an email sent yesterday, Early Bird Foods owner Nekisia Davis said she had no comment, "Except 'Say it isn't so,'"—an apparent reference to a 1983 recording by Hall and Oates with that title.

The company's website describes it as a small operation located in the Red Hook section of Brooklyn. It bills itself as the maker of "out-of-this-world delicious, wholesome, and nourishing small batch granola and other foods by hand." The suit asks the court to order Early Bird Foods to stop using the Haulin' Oats name on packages of granola. It also says the company should hand over any profits made off the brand. (More Hall & Oates stories.)

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