ESPN is locked in a bitter standoff with a famous L.A. restaurant -- all over an "ESPY Awards Pre-Award Show Party" that's supposed to go down at the eatery ... tonight! 
TMZ has learned ESPN sent a cease and desist letter to Cicada restaurant in downtown L.A. -- accusing them of violating its trademark by using the ESPN name to promote an event that's not officially endorsed by ESPN.
But the restaurant is serving up some legal smack talk of their own in a strongly-worded letter back to the network -- in which they rip into ESPN for being "arrogant," "narcissistic" and "out of step ... with its own assumed importance."
As for their legal defense, the restaurant claims it is not the one behind the party -- it is merely the venue ... but Cicada's attorney, Keith Fink, closed his letter with a particularly personal parting shot saying:
"This whole situation is more of farce than the 'King James' show aired by ESPN
last week."
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narsacistic? This whole situation is more of farce then (should be than) the 'King James' show aired by ESPN last week. I would expect better grammar from a lawyer responding to a cease and desist.
Maybe ESPN should ask TMZ what it should do to cure it's narcissism and inflated sense of self importance?
that attorney is not helping his client by writing an insulting and combative letter against a giant like ESPN.
Oh please. Like Cicada wouldn't sue someone's @ss off if they used their name without permission. Stop being such effing babies.
Good for you Cicada!! Standing up to some corporate giant throwing lawyers around without even looking into the details. And Jason, don't assume anything. Grammar issue might be a TMZ posting error, not in fact verbatim from lawyer's statement.
And what's wrong with saying narcissistic? Seems that's exactly what ESPN is being.
ESPN - Funny looking people with strange personalities commenting on sports.
Only in America
The irony of the hypocrisy of that restaurant. They know it is against the law to use trademarks without permission, but to me it seems Cicada is being ""arrogant," "narcissistic" and "out of step ... with its own assumed importance" to think they are above the law.
Finally someone standing up to the Four Letter Crap of a network at is ESPN. I love that letter the lawyer wrote. So perfectly worded in my opinion. How can ESPN be so arrogant.
Good for you Cicada!! Standing up to some corporate giant throwing lawyers around without even looking into the details. And Jason, don't assume anything. Grammar issue might be a TMZ posting error, not in fact verbatim from lawyer's statement.
And what's wrong with saying narcissistic? Seems that's exactly what ESPN is being.
Posted at 3:44 PM on Jul 13, 2010 by Tom
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I'll take the quotations to mean that it is verbatim from the letter, so unless otherwise noted, I'll take it for what it is shown to be which is a mistake on the lawyer's part. The lawyer saying that ESPN is being narcissistic isn't wrong per-say, though I personally believe ESPN is well within their rights to prevent people from using the ESPN brand name on unofficial venues.
Cicada is a spectacular Venue. My husband & I were recently married there and I imagine if we would have used ESPN on our invitation The Cicada Club wouldn't be liable!
Hopefully this will only generate some well deserved publicity for The Cicada Club. The ambiance is beautiful and the food is amazing! GO CICADA!
FARCE? TWO and a HALF MILLION DOLLARS to the 'boys and girls' club from LBJ is a farce?! Wow, only from TMZ...
That's my kind of attorney---
Keith Fink,don't leave home without him.
ESPN should open up some restauarants in LA and call them CICADA and see if CICADA complains about it. My guess is they would. Oh - look up that lawyer guy that gave this story to TMZ - its pretty funny.
This is hardly a story... I almost fell asleep reading it.
