They say parody is respect, but for a new coffee store, it is also business!
A brand new coffee store, which has named itself after the world's largest coffeehouse chain 'Starbucks', opened quietly on Friday, Feb 07, 2014, in Los Feliz, Los Angeles. Calling itself 'Dumb Starbucks', the store is not only done up in the typical 'green and white Starbucks style' but has the same logo.
Dumb Starbucks is staffed by two baristas, who gave out free coffee all weekend to promote their new store. People thronged to the shop that has a 'Dumb' menu too, which includes 'Dumb Frappuccinos' and a seasonal special called the 'Wuppy Duppy Latte', reports the Los Angeles Times.
Enjoy our full menu of coffees and cold drinks pic.twitter.com/wPacrEEH9k
— Dumb Starbucks (@dumbstarbucks) February 8, 2014
The store also has its own music:
While most people were amused or baffled by the imitation shop (that served free coffee, which is so unlike Starbucks), many questioned the legality of the concept. Some even speculated if the store could be 'reality TV' or a 'marketing ploy'.
But Dumb Starbucks was prepared. They have a FAQ answering all the 'copyright' based questions.
Dumb Starbucks says 'Parody Law' is its foundation but does it really abide by the law?
Law.com defines parody as:
The humorous use of an existing song, play, or writing which changes the words to give farcical and ironic meaning. Parodies have been challenged as copyright infringements on the original works, particularly since some have reaped terrific profits. Recent decisions favor the parodies and say they have an originality of their own and, thus, are not infringements. There is a free speech issue involved in these decisions since parodies traditionally have so-cial and political significance.
However, an overview according to Harvard Law reads:
In general, however, the courts appear to be more sympathetic to the extent that parodies are less commercial, and less sympathetic to the extent that parodies involve commercial use of the mark.
Does the real Starbucks know about this? Apparently yes. A spokesperson for the coffee chain told the Wall Street Journal:
"We are aware of it and looking into it."
The comments section in a Daily Mail feature had some interesting opinions. One of the readers wrote:
"I think that is absolutely hilarious that your attorneys think this will work. Starbucks has some of the biggest attorneys on the planet, and I assume you will be shut down within 90 days max."
While the infringement issues are still disputable, people are enjoying the store. They took to twitter to express their amusement.
One said," "Go buy some @dumbstarbucks before dumb lawyers get to it ", posting a photo of the fake Starbucks with it.
One commenter on Business Insider said:
"I look forward to dumb mcdonalds, dumb Taco Bell, dumb subway and a vibrant dumb economy."
Dumb or not, the fake Starbucks now has 4,209 followers on twitter and 1,867 followers on Instagram.
