This story popped up on my other radar – the professional digital marketing radar – but I think it belongs to Geek Native.
I’ve already seen Ms Marmite Lover on British TV. She was in the spotlight for hosting private dinner parties in her house. You meet strangers at your table. You pay a little for the food. You help out. You socialise, make friends and do something a little different. It was presented as a response to the credit crunch.
Restaurants denied she was a threat.
I thought it wise that Ms Marmite Lover used an alias for the broadcast. No one wants uninvited people turning up on your doorstep for dinner.
Turns out she was very wise. Who would want uninvited lawyers turning up on your doorstep?
Ms Marmite Lover advertised a Harry Potter themed night for the latest The Underground Restaurant – yeah, the one on Halloween.
Restaurants may not see the home-based cooking gathering to be a threat but Warner Bros. Entertainment’s laywers did. They wrote her a letter.
Dear Ms Marmite Lover,
I have been asked to write to you by Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. and Warner Bros. Entertainment UK(together, “Warner”).
We notice that you’re planning to hold a “Harry Potter Night at the Underground Restaurant” on 30th – 31st October 2009 with a Harry Potter style menu and butterbeer (the “Harry Potter Nights”) and that tickets are being sold for the Harry Potter Nights on http://www.wegottickets.com/location/2522. While we are delighted that you are such a fan of the Harry Potter series, unfortunately your proposed use of the Harry Potter Properties (as we explain below) without our consent would amount to an infringement of Warner’s rights.
You might be interested to know how our entrepreneur responded. Did she cave? Nope. She blogged about it and this got her in the news again.
The name of the night was changed to “Generic Wizards Night”. What a hoot!
Warner Bros earned themselves a PR issue. Ms Marmite Lover earned herself an even higher profile. Well done Marmite Lover.
Except… since the publicity for that she's likely to run into her local health and safety people: you can't just turn your dining room into a restaurant – or even host potluck evenings where some folk bring food and others chip in with cash – anymore.
Oh, I agree. If they know where she lives and if she's breaking the law then it becomes much more serious than a tussle with a PR clumsy legal department.