Obama’s likeness used to sell fried chicken in China

While President Barack Obama seeks the secret recipe for U.S. economic growth, a fast-food restaurant in China is inferring he’s already privy to Colonel Sanders’ secret for fried chicken.

The long arm of trademark law does not reach to China, apparently.

The short arm of trademark law.

The Daily Mail and other media outlets report Obama Fried Chicken is using advertising very similar to that used by KFC, aka known as Kentucky Fried Chicken before the word “fried” became a marketing pariah.

The Beijing business sign allegedly contains the phrase ‘We’re so cool, aren’t we?’ in Chinese, but Google translate cannot confirm that for me.

The restaurant’s name may be a way for restaurateurs to decry a tariff on U.S. chicken exports that, according to the New York Times, forces importers in China to pay twice as much per bird.

The restaurant’s sign was first spotted by TheShanghaiist.com.

Mediaite.com writes that using Obama’s likeness to sell fried chicken could be considered “unacceptably racist,” but this isn’t the first time such a thing has happened.

The Daily Mail article has pictures of U.S. businesses using the exact same name in Brooklyn and Harlem.

And KFC itself used an Obama lookalike in a television commercial that ran in Hong Kong. In that clip, KFC even borrows a sentiment from Obama’s 2008 campain … “Change is good.”

117 comments Add your comment

Tears from a clown...

October 3rd, 2011
3:05 pm

Absolutely sickening. America should pat itself on the back once again for a job well done. Managed to spread its filth, hypocrisy, non-white stereotypes and ideologies across the world. The people on this blog want to debate about who is more racist than who. This is not only an gross molestation of our president but a molestation of all Americans. Since we all on both sides like to tout our academia I challenge you all to subjectively look at the numbers:

1865 – 13th amendment abolishes slavery
156yrs ago

1954 – Brown vs. Board of Education
57yrs ago

1964 – civil rights act
only 47yrs ago

Yep

October 3rd, 2011
3:06 pm

Dear God….. When can a man fail in his job simply because he is not up to the task? I really do not care about Obama’s race. He simply does not have what it takes to maintain the office of president. Obama’s presidency is already listed right next to Jimmy Carter’s as one of the worst periods in our nations history. I doubt if anyone wants another 4 years of despair that have followed this man. If anything, we really want real change for the better this time.

To Yep wannabee…. you need to open your eyes. How many movies like WHITE CHICKS, WHITE MEN Can’t jump or show’s like the WHITEST kids I know have we all seen on TV? What would happen if the shows used African American, Hispanic or Chinese? There would be a public outcry and anarchy on the streets because their heritage had been assaulted. I was in the airport just last Thursday in Las Vegas and I saw a French guy bump into a minority female and get called a white MF after he apologized profusely. You cannot defend stupidity. Most of us in this city see it every day first hand.

No one here is saying that only blacks perpetuate racism. I think that their is plenty of guilt within each race. We all should just be willing to step up to the plate and admit our failings. Their will always be racists from all sides of the aisle, some just have thicker skins than others.

Contentment Blues

October 3rd, 2011
3:07 pm

That’s going to be some expensive chicken!

Call it like it is

October 3rd, 2011
3:10 pm

Enough with all the silly racism talk, the important thing here is who has the best chicken? For me its a toss up between Popeyes and Po-Folks, yeah I called it po-folks and will continue to do so till the day I die.

Why?

October 3rd, 2011
3:11 pm

Why is it that no matter what issue comes up, the people that comment always….and I do mean always….find a way to make it about race instead of focusing on the real issue. What we should be talking about here is if it is legal to use an image that so closely resembles US President Barack Obama without his permission. Does China have a law for or against it? If China does not have a law like this, is KFC required to follow the laws of the United States since its business is based here? One reason I believe government does not get a lot done is because we allow our minds to focus on irrelevant things. Do better!!

Just Wondering

October 3rd, 2011
3:12 pm

Why is it people use terms like “blacks” and “the blacks” but never use “whites” and “the whites”? White is generally followed by the word people. Black is used as if referring to some inamimate object, animal or other non-human form.

George Mathis

October 3rd, 2011
3:16 pm

Yes, I agree with ‘Why?’ — let’s try to not comment about race, but about another country using the image of our president to sell a product.

Contentment Blues

October 3rd, 2011
3:17 pm

“Call it like i is” if that’s the best you can come up with as best chicken ever, you need your head checked. Chain restaurant chicken the best? Really? Po Folks jumped the shark back in the early 90’s when they changed to Folks anyways. Now had you said that for $4 these places have decent chicken, i may have agreed.

laydeeliberty

October 3rd, 2011
3:18 pm

@Just Wondering

Congratulations on creating a racist accusation out of thin air. Whites aren’t referred to as ‘the whites’ any more than blacks are, but I give you A for effort on trying to create a conspiracy where there is absolutely not one.

charles

October 3rd, 2011
3:18 pm

no more flied lice give me some o dat flied chicken!!!!!!!!