Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Food
Skee-Ball Manufacturer Sues Williamsburg Skee-Ball Bar Full Circle
By
John Del Signore
Published Jan 3, 2012
Modified Jan 3, 2012
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
Courtesy Full Circle
By
John Del Signore
Published Jan 3, 2012
Modified Jan 3, 2012
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
The company that manufactures Skee-Ball—the dull, repetitive game beloved by children and inebriated simpletons—is going after the Skee-Ball themed Williamsburg bar Full Circle, filing a lawsuit against the owners for trademark infringement. Full Circle has three Skee-Ball games, and owners Eric Pavony and Evan Tobias also founded a "Brewskee-Ball" League in 2005, after obtaining verbal permission from Skee-Ball, Inc. during a meeting with the company's CEO in Pennsylvania. But now it seems Skee-Ball has had a change of heart.
According to court documents, Pavony and Tobias were subsequently contacted by Skee-Ball reps in 2010, after the company saw how they'd popularized the game with their Brewskee-Ball league. The Full Circle owners say Skee-Ball wanted to work with them, and the two parties entered into a confidentiality agreement in order to discuss a collaboration. But a month later, Full Circle was served with a cease and desist letter, claiming that the bar's owners were violating Skee-Ball's trademark on the word skee-ball.
It's unclear what kind of damages Skee-Ball is seeking, but we hope whatever settlement is reached gets paid out in little tickets that can be redeemed for a Walkman. Robert Harkins, an attorney for Full Circle, tells us the bar "is not infringing on any valid Skee-Ball trademark. And there is no other way to describe a skee-ball machine that a normal person would understand, except to call it a skee-ball machine. So to have a company basically claim that you can't call the machines you own by their name is not legally proper, and it's not even good business."
Harkins has filed a motion to have the lawsuit dropped, arguing that Full Circle's use "constitutes fair use... particularly because Full Circle has only owned and used skee-ball games manufactured by SBI." It's a mystery why Skee-Ball decided to come after Full Circle after exploring a partnership, but a source familiar with the bar notes that the cease-and-desist letter came soon after Skee-Ball hired a marketing company based in San Francisco, where the lawsuit was originally filed. Harkins successfully got the lawsuit transferred to Brooklyn Federal Courtskee.
Tagged
bars
full circle
lawsuits
skee-ball
trademark infringement
williamsburg
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE food
Why NYC restaurants are playing coy about sustainability
Though it has multiple benefits, the practice remains popular for one basic reason: it saves money.
By
Samantha Dady
Published Oct 26, 2026
Where are the cheapest drinks in NYC? A new report details the city's average prices.
The median price of a cocktail in the city is now $16, and $9 for a draft beer.
By
Hannah Frishberg
Food
Where are the cheapest drinks in NYC? A new report details the city's average prices.
The median price of a cocktail in the city is now $16, and $9 for a draft beer.
By
Hannah Frishberg
North African restaurants are rare in NYC. These 10 are the best.
By
Robert Sietsema
10 dishes that demonstrate the delicious diversity of curry in New York City
By
Robert Sietsema
Frozen yogurt is back in New York City. So are the super long lines.
By
Sonia Rao
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .