"Stranger Things" and When Lawyers Do Creativity Right
Pixabay.com
If you love SciFi, the 80's, great stories or all of the above, then Stranger Things needs to be on your list of TV shows to watch. (You'll need a Netflix account.)
It's been such a hit that a couple of of guys here in Chicago decided to launch a pop up bar in the Logan Square neighborhood. By many accounts, the bar has been a hit.
Unfortunately, they did so without asking the folks who made the show, which, of course, is a no-no. So, as could be expected, the show's lawyers sent a letter to the owners asking them to cease and desist, so to speak.
Only, they didn't just send them a traditional, staid, menacing letter loaded with corporate speak and threats galore.
Instead, they sent probably the single best legal notice I think I've ever read. It's the only legal letter I've ever read that uses the words "wastoid" and "demogorgon", references the "upside down" (you have to watch the show to get it) but still gets its point across firmly and clearly.
It's also a great example of how it's possible to be human in an age where it's all to easy to be cold and dispassionate. How, when you're speaking to someone who hasn't been malicious in their intent, you can still be positive, and constructive. And how we should communicate in the spirit that we would all want to be communicated to - with dignity, the benefit of the doubt and good humor.
Check out the article in DNA Info that brought this to light and read the full letter below:
