A legal dispute has emerged between two noodle restaurants over their names.

In Nanyang, Henan province, the owner of a restaurant named 'Yujian Xiaomian' broke down in tears on June 11th after being sued by the chain XIAO NOODLES (02408). The owner, who is from Chongqing, expressed confusion, stating, "I am from Chongqing, so I used the character 'Yu' [which refers to Chongqing]. The pronunciation and meaning of 'Yu' and 'Yu' [as in 'meet'] are completely different. How can this be trademark infringement?"

The owner further argued that the storefront design and interior decor of the two establishments are entirely different. The plaintiff is demanding 10,000 yuan in compensation. The owner lamented that at 8 yuan per bowl of noodles, they would have to sell over a thousand bowls to cover the amount.

In response, the plaintiff's lawyer contended that since both businesses sell noodles and three out of the four characters in their names are identical, the names are considered overall similar. The lawyer stated that the minimum compensation sought is seven to eight thousand yuan and that there is no room for negotiation.