"Eat'n Park Frowns On Other Smiling Cookies"

MADELEINE BRAND, host:

A cookie may make you smile, but rarely do cookies smile back at you, which brings us to our last word in business today: happy food causing some angry faces.

The Eat'n Park restaurant chain in Pennsylvania claims it's the only company that can brighten up cookies with a smiley face that's made of icing. It's owned the trademark for more than 20 years.

Now, Eat'n Park is suing a Texas company called Crumb Corps for trademark infringement. It says Crumb Corps has no right to sell grinning baked goods, no matter how ubiquitous a smiley face may be.

(Soundbite of music)

STEVE INSKEEP, host:

I don't think anybody has the right to sell grinning baked goods.

(Soundbite of laughter)

INSKEEP: Fewer smiley faces, please.

(Soundbite of laughter)

BRAND: You're smiling.

That's the business news from NPR News. I'm Madeleine Brand.

INSKEEP: And I'm Steve Inskeep.