BAD TASTE

Berkeley Bakery’s Trademark of ‘Mochi Muffin’ Sparks Meltdown

Since getting the trademark in 2018, Third Culture Bakery has sent cease-and-desist letters to other businesses.

A popular bakery in Berkeley, California, has come under fire after a San Francisco Chronicle article revealed that owners had trademarked the phrase “mochi muffin.” Third Culture Bakery got the trademark for what the Chronicle called a “common term” in 2018 and has since sent cease-and-desist letters to other businesses demanding that they stop using the phrase. The controversy has sparked fervent debate among the Asian American community; many are angry about the bakery sending cease-and-desist letters to other Asian-owned businesses, with some calling for boycotts on social media. Due to the abundance of negative Yelp reviews it is receiving, two of Third Culture’s pages have been temporarily frozen, and employees are fielding angry calls and messages. Another bakery, CA Bakehouse, received a cease-and-desist letter and was forced to market their item as a “mochi cake.”