They landed on the name Pho Keene — "pho," a Vietnamese soup pronounced "fuh," and "Keene," the town it is based in.
But the city objected because when you say it fast, it sounds like a profanity you definitely cannot say on the radio.
The restaurant countered the objection as discriminatory, but does any company have a right to name itself with the name of the town in which it does business?
The answer is yes, you may use or even trademark a city name if it is used as a brand name for your products or services. It doesn't mean that you own the city name — or the city, for that matter — but it will prevent other companies from using the city's name in association with a product or service that's like yours.