Puns are unequivocally great. I’m not just saying that as a writer for a website full of other writers who get no greater pleasure than witty plays on words. No, most everybody loves puns. Just look around at the businesses you frequent and tell me that if a restaurant has a good take on “wok,” you aren’t more likely to try it. People respond to puns, and there’s no doubt that whoever named their dog walking service Woof-Tang Clan didn’t get a business bump just out of appreciation for the name.
Well, it turns out it wasn’t appreciated by everyone. Namely, RZA, whose Wu-Tang Clan was the inspiration for the name. As The New York Daily News points out (via Stereogum), the Wu’s leader has taken umbrage with the use of his group’s name. After Woof-Tang Clan filed a trademark for their name over the summer, RZA filed a trademark opposition suit to block their request. It turns out the dog-walking company even sells t-shirts parodying Wu’s classic albums, so they might be taking their good-spirited name a little too far.
There’s no word yet on what RZA is seeking here, be it a cut of their earnings or them changing their name entirely. But if the name sticks, surely there are more dog-related Wu-Tang puns that can be explored by the business. Cash drools everything around me, eh?
