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| John DiPalma aka Giovanni Di Palma |
Last week I broke news of a "intellectual property - trademark" lawsuit filed by Giovanni di Palma of Antico Pizza Napoletana against the McDowells of Fuoco di Napoli. Though it was unclear at the time what possible "intellectual property" di Palma might be referring to, I wasreminded by a reader of the "Antico Express" of 2010.
Lori and Dino McDowell, two of the four persons named in the lawsuit, ran a food truck called Antico Express in late 2010 and early 2011 bringing Antico pies to events around the southeast. The truck was most often found at the Atlanta Motor Speedway. The pies were precooked by Antico, frozen, and then heated in the truck to serve. Antico Express offered just two options - Margherita or Pepperoni - available by the slice or pie.
I'm no legal expert, but it would not shock me if di Palma's claim is that the McDowells somehow stole or duplicated a recipe or procedure from Antico.
At the same time, I read all the comments left on this original post and came across an intriguing website: two, actually. The website and blog are run by a woman named Shannon Salvino who claims to be an ex-wife of a man named John diPalma who she asserts is masquerading as Giovanni diPalma of Antico Pizza. She goes on to claim that Johnny, diPalma's "son," is illegally with him and is actually her son from a previous marriage. The whole thing seems very "ripped from the headlines" or Dateline-esque but I gotta say if it's true, diPalma does not know the first thing about keeping a low profile.
What do you think of all this craziness? Do you think diPalma has legal standing given the McDowells' prior relationship with his pizzeria? Do you think Giovanni really is John and could be the kidnapper Salvino claims he is? Does all this drama make you want to support places like STG Trattoria and Varasano's Pizzeria, where the excitement comes from the food and not the drama? Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.