Chicken (aka Chikin) and kale are easy to confuse, aren’t they? Well, Chick-fil-A seems to think so, and seems to be a bit threatened by small-time farmers encroaching upon its market.
OK, the details:
Bo Muller-Moore has been creating eco-friendly t-shirts with the slogan “EAT MORE KALE” on them for over 10 years. Chick-fil-A is now concerned this steps on the rights of its “Eat Mor Chikin” slogan and could confuse its customers. (Confuse them into eating kale?… I’m not quite sure I follow that part.)
Muller-Moore recently decided to file for a federal trademark on “EAT MORE KALE,” as others have gone and used the slogan on their own products. But, getting word of this, Chick-fil-A is trying to block the trademark approval and shut down Muller-Moore’s business. And, apparently, this isn’t the first time.
“Back in 2006, the fried chicken giant’s lawyers sent Muller-Moore a cease-and-desist letter, ordering him to stop using the EAT MORE KALE logo and send Chick-fil-A all of his t-shirts,” Change.org notes. “After Muller-Moore obtained legal counsel of his own, Chick-fil-A backed down.”
A concerned citizen who supports the value of Muller-Moore’s slogan and hard work, Jeff Weinstein of Vermont (where Muller-Moore’s t-shirt business is), has started a petition on Change.org to pressure Chick-fil-A into dropping this corporate bullying approach and let the small business be:
“This is a clear case of corporate bullying, and we won’t tolerate it! Muller-Moore is a small business owner that supports sustainable agriculture — he is no threat to a multi-million dollar fast food company, and he has a right to pursue his livelihood.”
The petition now has nearly 23,000 of the targeted 25,000 signatures. You can sign the petition above or on its Change.org page.
Of course, if it gets enough press, this attempt by Chick-fil-A to squash a small business owner could backfire, and it could get it’s just desserts….
h/t Grist