"Dumb Starbucks" - Why the Parody Coffee Shop Got Shut Down

   By SheSpeaksTeam  Feb 12, 2014

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If you were driving the streets of Los Angeles recently there’s a possibility you did a double take after passing what looks exactly like a Starbuck’s  coffee shop but just has the word “Dumb” before the store’s name and logo. The parody coffee stop offered free coffee to customers, but soon had to close up shop once the health department caught up with them.

CNN reports about the “Dumb Starbucks” very short stint in the coffee business that garnered a lot of attention. Though the real Starbucks showed concern about the unauthorized use of their logo, it was the county health department that put an end to the coffee house that both confused and humored the public.

The world got to meet the creator of “Dumb Starbucks” when comedian Nathan Fielder acknowledged that he was indeed operating the shop without proper permits. It’s also speculated that the entire coffee event was a publicity stunt drummed up for a Comedy Central program. Fielder explained how he opened up shop under parody law saying, “Legally speaking, we're operating as an art gallery -- under parody law, it only covers art -- so the coffee you're buying is the art. Because of that we do not have a health permit so we didn't have to pay those fees and we passed on the savings to the customers.”

Whether or not you’re buying Fielder’s “coffee art” it sounds like the health department wasn’t in the market for Fielder’s brand of humor. Starbucks has not yet decided whether they will sue Fielder for his blatant use of their logo only saying, “We're evaluating our options.”

What do you think of the “Dumb Starbucks” publicity stunt?

Do you think Nathan Fielder should face legal repercussions for his actions?