Park Slope Food Coop Takes On Barney's Co-Op

Park Slope Food Coop Takes On Barney's Co-Op

Barneys may have gotten more than it bargained for when the company announced that it was setting up shop in Brooklyn.

It seems that the Park Slope Food Coop (spelled differently yet pronounced the same way -- go figure), no strangers to headlines, is irate over the clothing store's use of the term "co-op."

Writes the Brooklyn Paper:

Joe Holtz, the general manager of the famously left-leaning, members-only grocery store, has gone public with his concern that Barneys' "misuse" of the legal term "co-op" is a violation of state law.

Holtz cited an article in the state's Cooperative Corporations Law -- variously described by two lawyers as "arcane," "antiquated" and "obscure," but state law nonetheless -- that could possibly serve as a legal basis for a David v. Goliath showdown.

And if the Food Coop does pursue a legal case against Barneys, the store could be in for a steep fine: up to $500.

Maybe they'll just pay it off with a Prada handbag.

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