Hey Chick-Fil-A: Kale Isn’t Chikin!
We first reported on this absurd story last November when fast food chain Chick-fil-A threatened for the second time to sue a Vermont t-shirt maker for trademark infringement of its tagline “EAT MOR CHIKIN.” Vermont artist Bo Muller-Moore sells the popular hand-stenciled T-shirts with the slogan “Eat More Kale,” which the restaurant chain insists is its intellectual property misappropriated by Muller-Moore. But now the story gets even more interesting… enter the Batmobile?
After the Atlanta-based chain with 1,500 U.S. locations made its second attempt to stop Muller-Moore last October (the first cease and desist came in 2006) not just with the abandonment of his pending trademark application, but this time with demands for the transfer of his website domain (eatmorekale.com) to Chick-fil-A, the story piqued the interest of Vermont filmmaker James Lantz who has partnered with Muller-Moore in a documentary project about the debacle called “A Defiant Dude.”
Deciding that the corporate bullying tactics being employed by Chick-fil-A were not going to stop Muller-Moore, the film-in-progress tells the strange story, from the moment he received the letter to the dozens of other websites and businesses the chain has gone after containing the words “eat” and “more.”
To fund the film project, Muller-Moore and Lantz have created a Kickstarter campaign (the campaign runs until March 25th), where you can view the incredibly entertaining two-minute sizzle reel. Muller-Moore’s personality is a mix between fellow Moore (no apparent relation), documentary filmmaker Michael, and Morgan Spurlock of the “Super Size Me” documentary, infused with a bit of Lynyrd Skynyrd, circa 1976.
In an effort to reach the Kickstarter goal of $75,000, Muller-Moore’s latest update promises that if they meet it before the deadline, he will make an Eat More Kale shirt just for Chick-fil-A owner, S. Truett Cathy, who, yes, owns the actual Batmobile from 1992’s “Batman Returns,” but not one of Muller-Moore’s shirts, apparently.
Will the movie just make Chick-fil-A more determined to shut down Muller-Moore? Or, could creating a world where leafy green vegetables and fried chicken sandwiches live together in harmony actually help boost the chain’s sales? Only time will tell. Now on to the real question to come out of all this: What does Batman actually eat? Kale or fast-food? (Our money’s on kale.)
Make a donation today to A Defiant Dude
Keep in touch with Jill on Twitter @jillettinger
