Brecht Against Brechts

Hubert Hirschfeld and Rene Gamper opened their restaurant, "Brechts" in August last year hoping no doubt to capitalize on the name of the influential playwright who died in 1956.

Located in Berlin's Mitte district close to the Berliner Ensemble, the theater company established by Brecht and his wife in 1949, the restaurant is perfectly situated for a meal before a night at the legendary theater.

But not if the dramatist's daughter can help it. Barbara Brecht-Schall has threatened to sue Hirschfeld and Gamper if they don't stop using her father's name by the end of February.

"'Brechts' -- it sounds as if Papa had gone there, even as if it had belonged to him, but that was not the case," she told the Berliner Zeitung newspaper.

Actually, Brecht did go there, but in those days it was called "Trichter," and he didn't go there regularly, according to the letter Brecht-Schall's lawyer sent to the restaurant owners.

"You can't simply fling about Papa's name. Just because it sounds good. Just because it attracts people," Brecht-Schall told the paper.

Hirschfeld and Gamper admit they chose the name to draw customers. They also didn't think to ask Brecht's heirs for permission. But they were sensible enough to have their lawyer examine the legality of using the name. The lawyer determined that German law allows a person's name to be used commercially 50 years after his or her death as long as it's not sullied.

Thus, the restaurateurs aren't particularly worried about being sued. They say naming their eatery after Brecht is meant to honor the man.

Perhaps that is the key for Brecht-Schall, that is, if she does lose the case against Hirschfeld and Gamper. Her next step could be to send a restaurant critic to "Brechts" instead -- to make sure the quality of the food does indeed uphold the playwright's good name.