Tom Cruise’s Taiji Beef Noodles Cause a Duplicate Controversy – Small Shop Threatens to Sue Five-Star Hotel

Reported by Chen Zi-Yin / Taipei

Last month, Tom Cruise visited Taiwan and stayed at a well-known five-star hotel in the country. The hotel not only assigned him a private butler but also brought a mini salad bar into his presidential suite. Additionally, one of the culinary treats offered to Cruise was a dish referred to by the hotel at the time as “Taiji Champion Beef Noodles.” However, this creatively presented bowl of beef noodles has sparked a duplicate controversy. The owner of Niuyiguan Beef Noodles, located on Siping Street in Taipei, has filed a complaint, claiming that the five-star hotel’s “Taiji Champion Beef Noodles” may be infringing on a trademark. The shop has entrusted a lawyer to send an official letter regarding the matter.

Niuyiguan’s Taiji Beef Noodles were nominated for the Top Ten Creative Beef Noodles at the Taipei International Beef Noodles Festival in 2011. Xu Shengxiong, the owner of the beef noodle shop, said that two years ago he developed the concept of “Taiji Beef Noodles” based on theories from the Book of Changes (I Ching). Both the name and the serving vessel of the dish have been registered for trademark and utility model patents. The hotel recently launched a highly similar product and heavily promoted it during Tom Cruise’s visit to Taiwan. This often led customers to mistakenly believe that the hotel’s Taiji Beef Noodles were the same as those sold at his shop. Xu believes his rights and interests have been seriously harmed, hence he has entrusted a lawyer to issue a statement.

The hotel has now changed the product description on its official website to “Dingshi Beef Noodles.” Regarding Niuyiguan’s complaint, the hotel’s public relations department stated that the matter is fully entrusted to their lawyers and they will not make any further comments.
 
  
▲ Left: The “Taiji Dingshi Beef Noodles” that Tom Cruise ate at the time. Right: The “Taiji Beef Noodles” claimed to be self-created and sold by Niuyiguan. (Photo / Left: provided by the business, Right: provided by Summer)