In November 2010, the term "Hon" was trademarked in Baltimore by local businesswoman Denise Whiting, for use on napkins, buttons, hats and other promotional material for her restaurant, Cafe Hon. The trademark, as stated by Whiting, doesn't prevent anyone from saying "Hon", or using it in general conversation. However, the trademark issue proved to be controversial, and was criticized by Dan Rodricks, columnist for "The Baltimore Sun": "You can't own something that doesn't belong to you... 'Hon' isn't unique to Denise Whiting, no matter how special she wants us to believe she is."