Photo by CARRIE SIMONELLI Owner Gavan Benson said the name is the only thing that will change at The Tavern at Bayboro.

A USF tavern changes its name to avoid lawsuits from a famous landmark.

By CARRIE SIMONELLI
Staff Writer

New York City’s Central Park West and the University of South Florida’s St. Petersburg campus probably already seem worlds away to most, but their one similarity is about to change.

As of today, the St. Petersburg Tavern on the Green will become The Tavern at Bayboro, prompted by a letter sent by lawyers for the New York City locale.

Local tavern owner Gavan Benson was informed in an April letter that the name was a registered trademark of the New York company.

"It basically said, ‘We got the name, you don’t, so stop using it,’ " Benson said. Expenses totaled about $1,500 for owners to change items with the previous logo, from cups to business cards to the name on the bar’s license.

"It hasn’t been that bad," said Benson, who purchased the tavern in 1987, with business partner Michael Tarantino. "I’ve done far more expensive things – it’s just been a nuisance."

Joan and Carter Karins opened the St. Petersburg tavern in 1982, after moving from New York. They named the bar the Tavern on the Green for sentimental reasons and registered the name with the state of Florida, Mrs. Karins said.

Benson said because the New York tavern holds the federal copyright, it supersedes any local registration. He said he thinks the New York bar found out about its Florida namesake from the Internet site.

David Rogers, a patent lawyer representing the New York tavern, could not be reached for comment.

Reaction to the name change has been positive.

"I like the new name," Mrs. Karins said. "After they paved over the parking lot, Tavern on the Green made less sense than when we first named it."

Tavern at Bayboro employee Kris Kelly also favors the change.

"Now we have our own name that no one else has," Kelly said.

Matthew McGlothlin, previously a bartender at the St. Petersburg tavern, said, "Changing the name won’t change the ambiance of this place one bit."

The bar, catering to mostly USF students and faculty, is decorated with postcards from locations across the country, cartoons clipped from newspapers and a clock that reads as though you’re looking at a mirror image. A neon Bud Lite sign lights up the window.

McGlothlin added, "It’s a little ridiculous to think that anyone would confuse this place with the Tavern on the Green in New York."

In business for more than 60 years, the New York City landmark has been featured in movies such as "Ghostbusters" and often hosts celebrity events.

"The name is well-established," said Karen Bailey, director of public relations for Manhattan’s Tavern on the Green.

Instances of other bars using the name are "fairly common occurrences," Bailey said, though she didn’t know of any offhand.

Benson said he wasn’t surprised by the letter.

"We figured one day they’d figure it out," he said.