There’s a “Trolley” problem brewing in Salt Lake City.

As development picks up near historic Trolley Square, the mall’s owners are fighting to own the “Trolley” name.

The red-brick shopping center that once housed Salt Lake City’s streetcars is suing its longtime neighbor, Trolley Corners, alleging the commercial building operates with a name that’s too similar to the mall.

Trolley Square Ventures, LLC filed the lawsuit earlier this month against Trolley Corners Center, LLC, located across from the street on 700 East.

The mall’s attorneys argue the similar names have caused “confusion” about whether businesses housed in Trolley Corners — like Tucci’s Italian restaurant and EōS Fitness — are affiliated with Trolley Square.

Trolley Square, which hosts an Italian restaurant of its own, The Old Spaghetti Factory, and fitness businesses like Orangetheory, is asking for at least $25 million in damages.

Yet, the two buildings have “co-existed across the street from each other peaceably and without conflict or confusion” for decades, said attorney Dwayne Vance, who represents Trolley Corners, and have shared owners and developers in the past (namely Kem C. Gardner and H. Roger & Sara Boyer).

“Given the common ownership of Trolley Square and Trolley Corners, it does not appear to be a coincidence that the word ‘Trolley’ was used in naming ‘Trolley Corners,’ or that the architecture is reminiscent of Trolley Square,” Vance said.

So, why seek legal action now?

Casey Jones, an attorney representing Trolley Square, said “there’s no exciting reason.”

It’s much more simple: “You type in Trolley Corners to Google Maps, it pulls up Trolley Square,” he said.

As people increasingly use apps and web searches to find businesses, “it’s increased the amount of confusion that we’re seeing.”

The complaint cites reviews, social media posts and online maps that it alleges show people confusing Trolley Corners tenants with Trolley Square businesses.

This is a problem, the lawsuit asserts, because Trolley Square’s businesses are “held in higher regard.”

Vance, who represents Trolley Corners, characterized the lawsuit as “bullying,” noting it came after “aggressive actions to monopolize the ‘Trolley’ name,” including threatening to sue or asking to “enter licensing agreements to pay for its use.”

“That lawsuit is incredibly untimely, without merit, and is a waste of money and judicial resources,” Vance said. “It is a shameful attempt to rewrite Salt Lake history for monetary gain.”

Trolley Square first applied to trademark its name this year, and the application with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office remains pending. Jones, the mall’s attorney, said the company expects them to succeed because of “common-law trademark rights” from its decades of using the name.

Trolley Square has been using that name for more than 50 years, since at least 1972, he said.

Trolley Square’s trademark fight could suggest potential conflict with other planned developments nearby: the recently announced Trolley House Residences condo building and the separate Trolley North, a luxury student housing project.

The fact that other developments want to use the “Trolley” name, Jones said, demonstrates “the substantial goodwill and recognition and positive commercial impression that Trolley Square is creating.”

While he would not comment on what action, if any, Trolley Square may take against Trolley House or Trolley North, he said, “broadly speaking, if we feel there’s trademark infringement, we will address it.”

Vance argued that Salt Lake City’s Trolley Square is “not unique,” pointing to similarly named shopping centers across the country, including Trolley Squares in California and neighboring Idaho.