Eat More Kale? Eat Mor Chikin? The courts may decide
Eat Mor Chikin. Eat More Kale. They’re both catchy slogans, sure, but one is backed by a willing-to-fight fast-food company. The other is backed by a willing-to-fight Vermont entrepreneur. And they're at odds.
Chick-fil-A has trademarked the phrase “Eat Mor Chikin,”using it alongside images of cows. The cows -- they're poor spellers but determined to get their message across -- use the phrase on hoof-painted signs. The cows are trying to spread the word about the delightfulness of Chick-fil-A products, which, quite obviously, are not made of beef.
Vermont artist Bo Muller-Moore wants to trademark the phrase “Eat More Kale.” He puts it on hand-stenciled T-shirts; he made the first shirt at the request of a kale farmer, the Burlington Free Press reports. The shirts proved so popular that Muller-Moore decided to protect his franchise, filing an official application to do just that.
This did not sit well with Chick-fil-A. The company had warned Muller-Moore once before to stop using the phrase -- which is somewhat similar to the company's trademarked phrase -- but eventually seemed to let the matter drop.
"They backed down silently," Muller-Moore said in the Free Press article. "They quit responding. I took that as a 'Go for it.'"
Perhaps that was an inaccurate interpretation. Or perhaps Muller-Moore’s attempt to trademark the disputed phrase proved too difficult for the company to ignore.
Now, legal action is ensuing.
Chick-fil-A has considerable experience in this respect, as WPTZ in Vermont reports.
Remember “Eat More Goat”? How about “Eat More Yogurt”? What about "Eat More Catfish"?
Of course not.
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-- Tami Dennis
Photo: Bo Muller-Moore stands in his home studio in Montpelier, Vt., surrounded by "Eat More Kale" T-shirts. The shirts, and his attempts to copyright the phrase, have put him at odds with fast-food giant Chick-fil-A. Credit: Toby Talbot/Associated Press
