A SAN Francisco bar and restaurant called The Bank of Ireland has agreed to change its name after a threat of legal action by the eponymous banking group.
Lawyers for the bar said the name would be changed to The Irish Bank by March 1st. The owners said they agreed to the change because of the prohibitive costs of fighting the case in court. The bar has already taken its name off the Internet.
"My clients have acquiesced because they can't afford to do battle," said lawyer Mr Terence Redmond. "The bank has what it wants."
But Mr Redmond said the legal dispute could continue because the bank wants the name withdrawn immediately.
Last month, the Bank of Ireland sued the owners of the one-year-old bar in the US District Court in San Francisco, accusing the pub of misappropriating its name.
The bank said, in papers filed in court, that it had used the name "Bank of Ireland" since 1783 and the bar's use of the name "taints the bank's reputation.
"The bank does not wish to be affiliated, in any way, with the sale of alcohol under its name, or with the sale of food (such as the `Bank of Ireland Burger')," the lawsuit said.
The bar's co-owner Mr Chris Martin opened the bar and restaurant with fellow Dubliner, Mr Rory Connolly, in January.