Easily digestible tech news... http://www.techdirt.com/ en-us http://www.techdirt.com/images/td-88x31.gifhttp://www.techdirt.com/ Fri, 10 Aug 2012 17:00:00 PDT Joyce Hung http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20100319/1607188640/dailydirt-cupcakes-with-twist.shtml http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20100319/1607188640/dailydirt-cupcakes-with-twist.shtml "Cupcake Bubble". (Just check out CRMB on NASDAQ for one public company dedicated to cupcake bakeries -- or the reality show about cupcakes, Cupcake Wars.) These tasty treats are not only easy to make cheaply, but scaling up also doesn't require too much effort. As a result, there are tons of different cupcake choices out there, and stores are distinguishing themselves by offering cupcakes with a twist. Here are just a few examples.

• How about an ATM that takes your cash and dispenses cupcakes? Sprinkles, the "pioneer" of cupcake bakeries, has set up a 24-Hour Sprinkles cupcake ATM that is restocked day and night with a variety of freshly baked cupcakes. The machine also dispenses cupcake mixes, apparel, and... cupcakes for dogs(!) [url]
• The world's most expensive cupcake -- The Golden Phoenix -- costs over $1,000. The cupcake is made by Bloomsbury's Cupcakes in Dubai, and it's made from the finest chocolate and covered in 23 carats of edible gold sheets. [url]
• The Meatloaf Bakery in Chicago sells savory meat cupcakes. Each cupcake is a self-contained meal, and there are eight different varieties. For example, the "Wing and a Prayer Loaf" features ground chicken and celery topped with hot wing sauce and a blue cheese crust. [url]

If you'd like to read more awesome and interesting stuff, check out this unrelated (but not entirely random!) Techdirt post.

Permalink | Comments | Email This Story
]]> urls-we-dig-up http://www.techdirt.com/comment_rss.php?sid=20100319/1607188640 Tue, 3 Aug 2010 02:33:35 PDT Mike Masnick http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20100802/22585310464.shtml http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20100802/22585310464.shtml sent a cease & desist. Honestly, it took me a while to make the connection here. Yes, Pillsbury has the "Pillsbury Dough Boy," but that always seems to include the Pillsbury name. The article claims that the owner of the bakery checked on any "copyright infringement," which might explain the problem... this is a trademark issue, not a copyright one (though, I'm guessing this is just confusion on the part of the bakery owner, the reporter, or both).

Of course, these sorts of stories show up all the time. There were a couple of interesting elements in this one. While no lawsuit was actually filed, the fear that a legal nastygram from a giant firm can engender in a small business becomes clear. The owner of the store was so afraid of a lawsuit, she wouldn't even talk to reporters. It's not clear why talking to a reporter would make the situation any worse, but it does show how fearful a single letter has made this woman. In fact, a different report claims that General Mills' lawyers told her not to talk to the press. That's pretty ridiculous. Whether or not it's smart to talk to the press, she shouldn't be taking orders from General Mills' counsel. Either way, it looks like the bakery immediately capitulated and agreed to change its name, at a cost of $50,000. Ouch.

Even more interesting, though, is the reason this story is getting attention isn't because the bakery is fighting it, but because a bunch of fans of the bakery have used the internet to spread the word about how they really don't appreciate Pillsbury bullying their local bakery, which no one confused with the food giant in the first place. The article above also says that General Mills asked the owner to "kill the Facebook page," even though she didn't create it and has no control over it. In fact, she seems afraid that the Facebook page is making things worse. Still, it's quite a testament to modern technology that this is even possible. Can you imagine patrons of a small business standing up to a giant corporation without the small business' support in the past?

However, all it's really doing is calling a lot more attention to incredible bullying by a company like General Mills against a small company that has a legitimate claim to the name. One of these days, perhaps lawyers will realize that legal bullying leads to backlash, but I guess we still haven't reach that point yet.

Permalink | Comments | Email This Story
]]> a-recipe-for-doughy-disaaster http://www.techdirt.com/comment_rss.php?sid=20100802/22585310464