BUT JUST NO ONE KNOWS
WHAT THIS PLACE IS.
- CORRECT.
- NO ONE--
YOU DON'T HAVE A BRAND
THAT PEOPLE RECOGNIZE.
- ABSOLUTELY.
- BUT MAYBE THERE'S A SHORTCUT
TO ACTUALLY HAVING
BRAND RECOGNITION,
USING A LITTLE SOMETHING
CALLED PARODY LAW.
- PARODY LAW.
- OFTEN USED BY ARTISTS LIKE
"WEIRD AL" YANKOVIC
AND SHOWS LIKE
SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE,
PARODY LAW ALLOWS YOU
TO USE TRADEMARKS
AND COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL AS LONG
AS YOU'RE MAKING FUN OF THEM.
SO IF ELIAS COULD FIND A WAY
TO MAKE FUN OF STARBUCKS,
HE'D BE FREE AND CLEAR TO BORROW
THEIR VALUABLE CORPORATE NAME
AND IMAGE FOR HIS STORE.
THE PLAN:
TURN THE HELIO CAFE
INTO THE WORLD'S FIRST
PARODY STARBUCKS.
- SO HOW DO YOU MAKE THAT
A PARODY WITHOUT IT--
YOU JUST NOT MIMICKING
THEIR BRAND?
- LIKE, THE COFFEES COULD BE
"DUMB GRANDE," "DUMB VENTI"...
- YEAH, I GOT YOU.
- "DUMB FRAPPUCCINO."
- GOTCHA.
OKAY.
- I MEAN, AS A WHOLE, THE STORE
COULD JUST BE CALLED
"DUMB STARBUCKS."
- RIGHT. THAT'S--
OKAY, I SEE WHAT YOU'RE SAYING.
RIGHT.
- BUT THE "DUMB" COULD BE SMALL
SO PEOPLE COULD COME IN
THINKING IT'S
AN ACTUAL STARBUCKS.
- HUH.
IT'S SMART, I JUST DON'T KNOW
IF PEOPLE WOULD GET IT.
YOU KNOW.
I DON'T KNOW IF PEOPLE ARE,
YOU KNOW...
- WELL, DO PEOPLE GET
WHAT YOU'RE DOING NOW?
YOU'RE NOT THAT POPULAR.
- RIGHT.
- YOU HAVE NO MENU.
- THAT'S TRUE.
- I MEAN, WHAT DO YOU HAVE
TO LOSE BY TRYING?
- I MEAN, WHAT DO I HAVE
TO LOSE?
I...I DON'T KNOW ACTUALLY.
- ELIAS WAS ON BOARD, BUT
HE DID HAVE ONE MAJOR CONCERN.
- I DEFINITELY COULD NOT AFFORD
A LAWSUIT FROM STARBUCKS.
DEFINITELY NOT.
- BASED OFF WHAT I READ ON
WIKIPEDIA,
IT SEEMED LIKE MY APPROACH
WAS LEGAL.
BUT JUST TO BE SURE,
I RETAINED THE SERVICES
OF ATTORNEY PETER J. MARX
TO GUARANTEE WE WERE PROTECTED.
- "DUMB STARBUCKS"?
- BUT THE "DUMB" WOULD BE
SMALLER SO PEOPLE
WOULD STILL THINK
IT'S A STARBUCKS.
- IF PEOPLE THINK IT'S A
STARBUCKS, YOU'VE GOT A PROBLEM.
IT'S NOT REALLY A PARODY THEN.
- APPARENTLY, MY LEGAL FOOTING
WASN'T AS SOLID AS I THOUGHT.
BUT THEN PETER BROUGHT UP ONE
WAY I COULD COVER MYSELF.
- LET'S SAY YOU HAD A REPUTATION
AS BEING A--
- YEAH.
- SOMEONE WHO DOES
LOTS OF PARODY.
THEN THEY KNOW, OH, HE'S JUST
MAKING FUN OF STARBUCKS,
BECAUSE THIS IS WHAT HE DOES.
- SO I HAVE TO BECOME
A PARODY ARTIST.
- IT WOULDN'T HURT.
- IT SEEMED LIKE I STILL HAD
SOME WORK AHEAD OF ME.
BUT BEFORE LEAVING, I NEEDED
TO BE SURE I WAS PROTECTED.
SO IF I DO ALL THIS,
THEN STARBUCKS CAN'T SUE ME?
- THIS IS AMERICA.
PEOPLE FILE LAWSUITS
AT THE DROP OF A HAT.
- BUT IF THEY SUE,
YOU'RE LIABLE TOO, RIGHT?
- WHO'S LIABLE?
- YOU.
- ME PERSONALLY?
- YEAH.
- NOT UNLESS I'M INVOLVED
IN--IN VIOLA--
IN INFRINGING
THEIR TRADEMARK, NO.
- YEAH, THE APPEARANCE RELEASE
YOU SIGNED BEFORE HAD A CLAUSE
THAT YOU WOULD BE LIABLE TOO,
IF STARBUCKS SUED.
- I DON'T AGREE TO THIS AT ALL.
I DO NOT AGREE TO PAY
ALL LEGAL FEES AND DAMAGES FROM
LEGAL ACTION BECAUSE
I HAVE NO CONTROL
OVER WHAT'S BEING RELEASED.
- WELL, WHY DID YOU SIGN
THAT, THEN?
- YEAH, I SIGNED IT. AND I
SIGNED IT BECAUSE I DIDN'T HAVE
A CHANCE TO READ IT
AND I THOUGHT--
- BUT YOU'RE A LAWYER.
DON'T YOU READ THINGS
BEFORE YOU SIGN THEM?
- I DO READ THINGS--
I TRY TO READ THINGS BUT YOU
WANTED ME TO SHOOT AND I GLANCED
AT IT AND THIS WAS MY MISTAKE.
I'LL ACKNOWLEDGE THAT.
- OKAY. WELL, YOU SIGNED IT SO I
GUESS YOU CAN GIVE THAT BACK.
- WELL, I-I'M NOT GONNA GIVE IT
BACK BECAUSE I'M GOING TO--
- WELL, I HANDED IT TO YOU JUST
TO LOOK OVER, BUT YOU ALREADY--
- NO, I'M NOT GONNA
GIVE IT BACK TO YOU.
I'M PROTECTING MYSELF AND,
FRANKLY, YOU FROM A NIGHTMARE.
- WELL, YOU SIGNED IT.
WE HAVE YOU ON CAMERA
SIGNING IT.
SO IT STILL HOLDS UP IN COURT.
- YOU DON'T HAVE ME ON CAMERA
SIGNING IT.
- YES, WE DO.
- WHAT KIND OF LAWYER AM I?
SIGNING [...] I HAVEN'T READ.
WELL, IF YOU DO, THAT'S FINE
THEN YOU--THEN YOU'LL KNOW
HOW THE TERMS--I'M GONNA PUT IT
IN MY POCKET.
- WELL, NO, WE DON'T WANT IT
IN YOUR POCKET.
- I--WE DO WANT IT
IN MY POCKET.
- PLEASE.
PLEASE, YOU'RE IN MY OFFICE.
I'M VERY SERIOUS. AND I DON'T
KNOW IF YOU'RE REALLY TRYING
TO DO THIS JUST FOR THE SHOW,
BUT I'D LIKE YOU
TO GET OFF MY DESK AND I'M GONNA
ASK YOU TO LEAVE THE OFFICE.
- I WAS DISAPPOINTED THAT PETER
WAS TRYING TO BACK OUT
OF THE DEAL HE SIGNED.
BUT OUR PRODUCERS WERE
EVENTUALLY ABLE TO CALM HIM DOWN
ENOUGH TO KEEP SHOOTING.
- THEY JUST SAID THEY NEED TO
GET A SHOT OF THE--AN INSERT
OF THE DOCUMENT.
LIKE A SHOT OF IT.
- [laughs] IT'S STAYING--
IT'S STAYING IN MY POCKET.
IT'S NOT GOING ANYWHERE.
- WELL, WE JUST NEED TO GET
A SHOT OF THE CLAUSE
FOR THE SCENE.
- I-I--
- IN THE DOCUMENT.
YOU CAN HOLD ON TO IT.
JUST HOLD IT OUT
LIKE YOU'D HAD AND THEN--YEAH.
THIS CAMERA NEEDS TO GET IT
OUT HERE.
- OKAY, THAT'S HOW I HAD IT.
- AND THEN YOU CAN--
JUST MAKE SURE YOU GET AN INSERT
OF THE ACTUAL--
- YOU KNOW, I'M ABOUT TO--I
DON'T KNOW IF YOU'RE PROVOKING
ME OR NOT, BUT I'M--I'M NOT--
I'M GETTING TIRED OF THIS.
I'M NOT GONNA BE RESPONSIBLE
FOR YOUR CONDUCT, OKAY?
- MY PLAN TO HAVE PETER SHARE
LIABILITY DIDN'T WORK.
SO IT WAS MORE IMPORTANT
THAN EVER THAT ELIAS AND I
TAKE HIS GUIDANCE
TO PROTECT OURSELVES.
IT WOULD JUST BE HELPFUL,
LEGALLY, IF WE HAD A HISTORY
OF BEING PARODY ARTISTS.
- OKAY.
