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COURTESY PPHOTOS
The original ramen burger
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No legal action will result from the tussle over L&L Drive-Inn using the likeness of Jeff Shimamoto or his wife in an internal company newsletter. Shimamoto is the brother of chef Keizo Shimamoto, who has popularized the ramen burger on the mainland and in Hawaii.
Both Shimamoto and Bryan Andaya, L&L vice president and chief operating officer, confirmed to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser that neither side will pursue any legal action against the other, nor will either seek to block further trademark efforts with the U.S. Patent and Trade Office.
Andaya and Shimamoto have “several” mutual friends who encouraged each to talk things through, Shimamoto said.
Andaya described their conversation as cordial and pleasant. “We did express regret” about the video used in the L&L email to franchisees and vendors, and said some sort of notation separating the video from L&L should have been made, Andaya said.
Shimamoto described the situation as having arisen from “a lot of misunderstanding, and I think emotions got in the way on both sides.”
“We’re all good people trying to do the same thing,” Shimamoto said.
