Pancakes Vs. Jeebus: IHOP Sues Anti-Gay Christian Group For Using Their Acronym

IHOP is suing the International House Of Prayer, the virulently anti-gay group affiliated with whackadoodle preacher Lou Engle, for stealing their famous acronym.

The Kansas City, Missouri-based church group "selected and adopted the International House of Prayer name, knowing it would be abbreviated IHOP. IHOP-KC intended to misappropriate the fame and notoriety of the household name IHOP to help promote and make recognizable their religious organization," the lawsuit says. Lawyers from the pancake restaurant say the odds are stacked against the church group and provided the court with pages and pages of documentation of websites, newsletters and signs on buildings where the prayer group allegedly used the IHOP acronym. The use of the acronym infringes on the restaurant's trademark, the restaurant contends. So, IHOP, the pancake house, is asking a judge to get IHOP, the church group, to stop using the letters IHOP. The restaurant says it has used the acronym for more than 30 years.

The International House of Prayer holds rallies to pray away gay rights. Apparently they also want to pray away copyright law.