Hard Rock Cafe sues Hard Rock hotel in Vegas over use of name, says hotel devalues moniker

Hard Rock Cafe sues Vegas hotel with same name

LAS VEGAS — Owners of the Hard Rock Cafe restaurant chain are suing owners of the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas over its name, saying the casino’s party image has damaged the moniker enough to justify ending a 14-year-old licensing agreement.

Lawyers for Orlando-based Hard Rock Cafe International Inc. said in the lawsuit filed Tuesday in federal court in New York that the cable reality show “Rehab: Party at the Hard Rock Hotel” on truTV puts its brand in a bad light.

The lawsuit says the show portrays the hotel-casino as a place that “revels in drunken debauchery” and other actions that most people would find offensive.

A spokeswoman for the hotel did not immediately return a message Thursday seeking comment from The Associated Press.

The hotel is owned by Morgans Hotel Group Co.