Bo Muller-Moore
Robert "Bo" Muller-Moore is a silk screen artist based in Montpelier, Vermont, known for a legal dispute with fast food company Chick-fil-A.
Background
Circa 2000, Muller-Moore, at the instigation of a kale-farming friend, created a design featuring the phrase "Eat More Kale", and started to print t-shirts bearing the design.In 2011, Muller-Moore's application for a federal trademark to protect the "Eat More Kale" design drew an objection from Chick-fil-A. Chick-fil-A contended that the phrase infringed on its trademark, "Eat Mor Chikin," and ordered Muller-Moore to give his website to Chick-fil-A.
Chick-fil-A's actions resulted in a Streisand effect. Muller-Moore received national press coverage, vocal support from the then-governor of Vermont, Peter Shumlin, and a sharp upturn in t-shirt sales. Chick-fil-A's actions were portrayed as corporate bullying.
Documentary
Muller-Moore raised funds via Kickstarter to create a documentary film about his efforts, originally to be titled A Defiant Dude it was changed to Vermont and the Big Green Nothing after the filmmaker uncovered Bo misleading the public on exactly what Chic-fil-A had done to stop him.Legal actions
In 2013, U.S. Patent and Trademark Office issued a preliminary "no" verdict against Muller-Moore's trademark application, resulting in speculation by trademark attorneys that Chick-fil-A's objections would prevail. In 2014, the USPTO reversed its preliminary decision and ruled to give "Eat More Kale" trademark protection.Muller-Moore's response to Chick-fil-A's trademark infringement accusations is now referenced in several academic discussions of intellectual property law and business ethics.