In the News: WA: Port Townsend’s Vasu Video (and fans of Harry Potter) gain wanted & unwanted attention with their“Butter Beer”
Port Townsend, WA –It’s no secret that the last chapter in the Harry Potter saga has been released to the eager masses. Whether you have stayed awake into the early hours of the morning or waited till eager fans got their ‘fix’, it’s a safe bet you saw the film. Many of you probably took inspiration from the last film and have dedicated time to read the Deathly Hallows or maybe, even reading the whole book series again.
But how many of you have recreated something from the many films let alone the Part 2 of Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows? Well whether it was a replica of the sorting hat, a mandrake, or even something as mundane as a wand; you have nothing on Vasu Video. Say hello to Butter Beer after a short drive to Port Townsend.
"We wanted to do something special when the final movie came out," said Vasu Video owner Liam Cannon. "We spent a few weeks developing the recipe before we got it right." –source, FOX News’ July 25th article regarding Butter Beer
Technically there is no recipe publicly endorsed by J.K. Rowling or Warner Bros. nor is their any copyright. But that hasn’t stopped the folks at the studio from sending this independently owned video store a warning.
On July 27, the store received a certified letter from attorney J. Andrew Coombs, whose letter was not on Warner Bros.’ stationery, that said the product “constitutes a direct infringement of Warner Bros.’ trademark.”
Coombs told the store to “provide in writing a statement promising to never utilize or reproduce any of Warner Bros.’ trademarks in the future.”
This demand puzzled Vasu co-owner Liam Cannon, who uses trademarks of Warner Bros. and other studios as ways to promote video rentals.
Cannon said he had researched the “butter beer” trademark and found that it was not taken but later found that “butterbeer” as one word was trademarked.
Want to hear more about the video store with good intentions, continue reading it on the Peninsula Daily News here.
Cheers
