213 Management sues a Pinellas Park restaurant operating as Nan Xiang Soup Dumplings in the Middle District of Florida: complaint allegations

What was filed

The complaint is Document 1, filed October 20, 2026, in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, Tampa Division. The case is 213 Management LLC v. Nanxiang Soup Dumpling Inc., No. 8:26-cv-03192. It runs 26 pages. The defendants are Nanxiang Soup Dumpling Inc., a Florida corporation in Pinellas Park, Florida, and its president, whom the complaint sues individually and alleges, on information and belief, directs, controls, and personally participates in the conduct. Counsel are K&L Gates LLP and Loeb & Loeb LLP. Jurisdiction is pleaded under 28 U.S.C. §§ 1331, 1338(a), and 1367 and venue under 28 U.S.C. § 1391(b). The plaintiff demands a jury. The docket shows the case assigned on October 21, 2026 to Judge John L. Badalamenti and Magistrate Judge Lindsay S. Griffin.

The plaintiff and the marks

The complaint says 213 Management LLC, a New York company in Flushing, New York, has operated Nan Xiang Soup Dumplings restaurants since 2006, runs sixteen locations with eight more scheduled, and has been featured in the Michelin Guide. It alleges ownership of registrations including Nos. 6,577,482 (NAN XIANG SOUP DUMPLINGS), 6,471,500 (NAN XIANG XIAO LONG BAO), 8,191,168 (NANXIANG XIAO LONG BAO), 6,471,499, and 8,420,409, for restaurant and related services in Class 43. USPTO records list all five as live and owned by 213 Management LLC, a New York limited liability company. No. 6,577,482, registered November 30, 2021 in standard characters, disclaims SOUP DUMPLINGS. Nos. 6,471,500 and 6,471,499 registered August 31, 2021, the second for NAN XIANG XIAO LONG BAO in stylized letters below stylized Chinese characters. No. 8,191,168 registered March 31, 2026 and also covers soup dumplings and other foods in Class 30. No. 8,420,409, registered September 1, 2026, shows two Chinese characters in an oblong shape above the words NAN XIANG.

What the complaint alleges

It alleges that in or about August 2026 Nanxiang Soup Dumpling Inc. opened a restaurant named NAN XIANG SOUP DUMPLINGS, and that the defendants use a logo with Chinese characters that appear in several of the plaintiff's marks, a crimson-and-white color scheme like the plaintiff's, the domain nanxiangsoupdump.com, and the Instagram handle @nanxiangsoupdumpling. It quotes a Google review that it says confuses the two businesses, and other negative reviews it says harm its goodwill. It alleges an August 21, 2026 cease-and-desist letter received no response.

Counts and relief

The counts are infringement under 15 U.S.C. § 1114, counterfeiting under 15 U.S.C. §§ 1114 and 1127 in the alternative, false association under 15 U.S.C. § 1125(a), cybersquatting under 15 U.S.C. § 1125(d), and deceptive and unfair trade practices under Fla. Stat. § 501.204. The prayer seeks preliminary and permanent injunctions covering signage, menus, websites, and social media; profits and damages under 15 U.S.C. § 1117(a), trebled under § 1117(b) or statutory damages of up to $2,000,000 under § 1117(c)(2) for counterfeiting; statutory damages of $100,000 under § 1117(d); transfer of nanxiangsoupdump.com; and fees under 15 U.S.C. § 1117 and Fla. Stat. § 501.211.