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
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.