nicknamed Demogorgon after a “Dungeons
& Dragons” character. Several months ago, an
unauthorized pop-up bar appeared in Chicago,
using themes and decorations derived directly
from the show.
The cease-and-desist letter from Netflix was
written in a light-hearted, colloquial manner,
as if penned by one of the young characters on
the show. Of the pop-up bar, the letter states,
“…[U]nless I’m living in the Upside Down,
I don’t think we did a deal with you for this
pop-up,” and warns that, “We love our fans
more than anything, but you should know the
Demogorgon is not always as forgiving.” It
ends with a plea to not force Netflix’s lawyer to
“call your mom.”
many of Oliver’s fans, the brief ’s ultimate
audience is the court, and a judge may not be
amused by humor so biting it could be seen
as disrespectful. legal system may be more likely to appreciate
humor than a judge who needs succinct yet
thorough accounts of sometimes complex
legal arguments.
The safest bet is to use humor, if at all, only
sparingly. While a well-timed joke might
help the writer to form a stronger connection
to the reader, overusing humor could have
the opposite effect, especially if the joke falls
flat or the subject matter is especially serious.
Additionally, a lay audience that may feel
otherwise threatened by attorneys or the 1.The brief can be found on the ACLU-WV website at http://acluwv.
org/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/2017-08-01-Proposed-Amicus.
pdf.
2. Bennett v. State Farm Mut. Auto. Ins. Co., 731 F.3d 584, 584-85
(6th Cir. 2013).
3. The letter can be found