International House of Pancakes (Creative Commons)

The International House of Pancakes, known as IHOP, has filed a lawsuit  against the International House of Prayer, accusing the church of selecting its name knowing it would be abbreviated IHOP.

The organization “intended to misappropriate the fame and notoriety of the household name IHOP to help promote and make recognizable their religious organization,” the lawsuit says.

According to Restaurant spokesman Patrick Lenow, the church has even expanded and some branches are now serving food.

The restaurant chain says it sued only after the International House of Prayer rebuffed continual requests to discontinue use of the IHOP acronym.

The International House of Pancakes says it has used the acronym for more than 30 years and contends that the religious organization’s use infringes on the restaurant’s trademark.

As of Thursday, representatives from the international House of Prayer had not filed a response to the lawsuit, according to court documents.

Reach reporter Eleanor Walper here.

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