Punk rock bar sues Kraken for $3.5M over team name, planned restaurant

Punk rock isn't supposed to be about the money, but a beloved Seattle bar is looking to be heavily compensated in a clash with the NHL's newest franchise.

The Kraken Bar & Lounge filed a lawsuit Thursday in King County Superior Court alleging trademark infringement and tortious interference, according to the Seattle Times' Geoff Baker. The establishment, which opened in 2011, is seeking $3.5 million and says the Seattle Kraken hockey club has irreparably damaged its brand.

At issue is the team name itself, as well as the fact the NHL organization plans to open a restaurant called the Kraken Bar & Grill at its practice facility this fall. The latter was the final straw for the existing bar's owners, according to Baker. Their lawsuit said they had put up with the team name amid numerous new customers showing up in hockey apparel, in contrast to the bar's typical music crowd.

"That The Kraken Bar would or should become a ‘hockey bar’ or a sports bar of any kind was anathema to The Kraken Bar and its regular patrons," the lawsuit reads, according to Baker. "The Kraken Bar’s regular patrons frequented the bar precisely because it was a dive bar, associated with affordable food and drinks as well as cutting edge live music performances by well-known punk and metal bands."

The existing establishment wants the team to be prevented from using the Kraken moniker and any additional names that could be mistaken for its own trademarks. The bar owners also claim the team's newly planned restaurant "is sure to ruin The Kraken Bar and its near decade-old, cherished image and reputation as one of Seattle’s last dive bars," according to the lawsuit.

The team revealed its name and logo in July 2020. The squad will take shape during an expansion draft on July 21, and is scheduled to begin play in the 2021-22 season.