Bo Muller-Moore

Robert "Bo" Muller-Moore[1] is a silk screen artist based in Montpelier, Vermont,[2][3] known for a legal dispute with fast food company Chick-fil-A.[4]

Background

Circa 2000, Muller-Moore, at the instigation of a kale-farming friend, created a design featuring the phrase "Eat More Kale", and started to print t-shirts bearing the design.[5]

In 2011, Muller-Moore's application for a federal trademark to protect the "Eat More Kale" design drew an objection from Chick-fil-A.[4] Chick-fil-A contended that the phrase infringed on its trademark, "Eat Mor Chikin,"[4] and ordered Muller-Moore to give his website to Chick-fil-A.[6]

Chick-fil-A's actions resulted in a Streisand effect.[7] Muller-Moore received national press coverage,[8] vocal support from the then-governor of Vermont, Peter Shumlin,[4] and a sharp upturn in t-shirt sales.[9] Chick-fil-A's actions were portrayed as corporate bullying.[10][11][12][13]

Documentary

Muller-Moore raised funds via Kickstarter to create a documentary film about his efforts, to be titled A Defiant Dude.[2] (As of early 2018, completion of the documentary is on hold pending resolution of remaining legal issues relating to the contested trademarks.[14])

In 2013, U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issued a preliminary "no" verdict against Muller-Moore's trademark application,[15] resulting in speculation by trademark attorneys that Chick-fil-A's objections would prevail.[16] In 2014, the USPTO reversed its preliminary decision and ruled to give "Eat More Kale" trademark protection.[17][18][19][20]

Muller-Moore's response to Chick-fil-A's trademark infringement accusations is now referenced in several academic discussions of intellectual property law and business ethics.[21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33]

Similar case

Chick-fil-A's approach drew comparisons to a 2009 dispute in which representatives of the Monster Energy beverage brand attempted to prevent Vermont's Rock Art Brewery from marketing a beer called "Vermonster."[8] That dispute inspired a boycott of Monster drinks by one of Vermont's largest beverage outlets and legislation by Vermont's senators, Bernard Sanders and Patrick J. Leahy.[8] Rock Art Brewery was ultimately able to continue to market Vermonster.[8][3][6]

References
  1. Bobkoff, Dan (September 5, 2013). "What Elevated Kale From Vegetable To Cultural Identifier?". NPR.
  2. Doctorow, Cory (March 25, 2012). "Chick-Fil-A threatens guy who made "Eat More Kale" shirts; he fights back with a Kickstarter documentary / Boing Boing". boingboing.net.
  3. Ring, Wilson (November 28, 2011). "Eat more kale: A David vs. Golaith fight with Chick-fil-A?" – via Christian Science Monitor.
  4. Carapezza, Kirk (December 6, 2011). "Chicken Vs. Kale: Artist Fights Chick-Fil-A Suit". NPR.
  5. Shea, Courtney (July 7, 2015). "How kale surpassed trend status to permanent superfood". The Star.
  6. AP Nov. 28, 2011, 9:24 AM 451 (November 28, 2011). "Chick-Fil-A Is Taking Legal Action Against This Vermont Artist For Selling Shirts That Say 'Eat More Kale'". Business Insider. Retrieved April 22, 2018.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  7. "World Trademark Review". www.worldtrademarkreview.com.
  8. Bidgood, Jess (December 4, 2011). "'Eat More Kale' T-Shirts Challenged by Chick-fil-A" – via NYTimes.com.
  9. "Who Owns Kale?". National Geographic. September 28, 2016.
  10. "Vermont's 'Eat More Kale' guy wins trademark fight with Chick-fil-A". Chicago Tribune. December 12, 2014.
  11. "Shut your kale-hole". The Economist. March 24, 2012.
  12. Clauss, Kyle Scott (June 1, 2015). "Facebook Wants a Vermont Startup to Drop 'Book' from Its Name". Boston Magazine.
  13. Bouchoux, Deborah E. (February 5, 2017). Aspen Handbook for Legal Writers: A Practical Reference. Wolters Kluwer Law & Business. ISBN 9781454888109 – via Google Books.
  14. "Kale Documentary-in-progress". James Lantz.
  15. "Patent office protects Chick-fil-A's 'Eat mor chikin'". Wisconsin Gazette. April 23, 2013.
  16. Kim, Caroline (April 25, 2013). "'Eat More Kale' Company Is Losing Against Chick-Fil-A in Trademark Battle". finance.yahoo.com.
  17. Lara, Georgieff (December 16, 2014). "Chick-fil-A Loses Legal Battle to Block 'Eat More Kale' T-shirts". www.adweek.com.
  18. Atler, Charlotte (December 12, 2014). "Vermont Man Wins Right to Use 'Eat More Kale' Slogan, Despite Chick-Fil-A Objections". Time.
  19. Ohlheiser, Abby (December 12, 2014). "'Eat More Kale' Guy wins trademark battle with Chick-fil-A. Vermont rejoices, naturally" – via www.washingtonpost.com.
  20. Pinkham, C.A. (December 13, 2014). "Chick-Fil-A Loses Absurd Trademark Battle Against Tiny Vermont Company". kitchenette.jezebel.com.
  21. Port, Kenneth L. (2015). "Trademark Extortion Revisited: A Response to Vogel and Schachter". Mitchell Hamline Open Access.
  22. Orozco, David (Winter 2016). "Using Social Media in Business Disputes" (PDF). MIT Sloan Management Review. 57: 33–35.
  23. Kiser, Jessica M. (2013–2014). "To Bully or Not to Bully: Understanding the Role of Uncertainty in Trademark Enforcement Decisions". Columbia Journal of Law and the Arts – via HeinOnline.
  24. Reese, R. Anthony (2012). "Copyright and Trademark Law and Public Interest Lawyering". UC Irvine Law Review. 2: 911–929.
  25. Vogel, Jason; Schachter, Jeremy A. "How Ethics Rules Can Be Used to Address Trademark Bullying" (PDF). The Trademark Reporter. 103: 503–518 – via International Trademark Association.
  26. Dispoto, Anthony James (Spring 2015). "Protecting Small Businesses Against Trademark Bullying: Creating a Federal Law to Remove the Disparity of Leverage Trademark Holders Maintain Over Small Businesses". San Diego International Law Journal. 16 (2): 457–498.
  27. Nichols, Connie Davis (2014). "Trouble in Trademark Law: How Applying Different Theories Leaves Door Open for Abuse". Science and Technology Law Review. 17: 1–30.
  28. Greene, Timothy (Fall 2014). "Trademark Hybridity and Brand Protection". Loyola University Chicago Law Journal. 46 (1): 75–126.
  29. McCarthy, James M. (Winter 2014). "Build Your Brand Without Bullying" (PDF). Snippets. 12 (1): 1–3. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 7, 2015. Retrieved April 16, 2018 – via McDonnell Boehnen Hulbert & Berghoff LLP.
  30. Bone, Robert G. "Notice Failure and Defenses in Trademark Law" (PDF). Boston University Law Review. 96: 1245–1292.
  31. Miller, Roger LeRoy (January 1, 2014). Business Law Today, Comprehensive: Text and Cases: Diverse, Ethical, Online, and Global Environment. Cengage Learning. ISBN 9781285974422 – via Google Books.
  32. Sun, Haochen; Beebe, Barton Carl; Sunder, Madhavi (April 16, 2018). The Luxury Economy and Intellectual Property: Critical Reflections. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780199335701 – via Google Books.
  33. Twomey, David P.; Jennings, Marianne M.; Greene, Stephanie M. (January 1, 2016). Business Law: Principles for Today's Commercial Environment. Cengage Learning. ISBN 9781305887657 – via Google Books.
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