Isn’t Pizza Plagiarism Illegal?

It’s gooier, messier and more fattening than your average pizza, but it sells. So Little Caesars on Monday took on industry leader Pizza Hut by offering its own version of stuffed crust pizza nationwide.

Since Pizza Hut began selling the cheesy concoction in March, its sales at stores open at least a year rose 22 percent in the second quarter and were up 6 percent in the third quarter while pizza sales industrywide have increased only slightly.

No. 3 Little Caesars began test-marketing stuffed crust pizza in a few cities in March, featuring soft mozzarella string cheese and pepperoni hidden in the crust rim.

“We found there was a decent-size demand for stuffed crust,” company spokeswoman Susan Sherbow said.

To differentiate its pie from Pizza Hut’s, the Little Caesars stuffed crust is coated with garlic butter and Parmesan cheese.

Pizza Hut spokesman Rob Doughty said the stuffed crust pizza comprises 25 percent of its pizza sales. “We’re not surprised they would copycat it,” he said.