BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — Covenant Coffee has a yearly tradition where they celebrate the holidays with Harry Potter themed items. But this year they had to make changes after they were sent a cease and desist letter from Warner Bros.
Elijah Gadberry Community Member said "We are dressed up as Harry Potter and we enjoy to do this every year. We have kept this tradition for the last three to four years with my family."
It's a yearly occurrence for Elijah, his brother Jeremiah, and their mom Sasha to go get a Harry Potter themed drink from their local coffee shop.
Sasha Gadberry Community Member said "We were very concerned this was going to be the last year and we didn't want to miss out on it."
But this year was different for the family. After taking over Cloud 9 coffee company, Covenant Coffee in Bakersfield decided to continue on their tradition of a Harry Potter themed drinks and set-up at the end of the year.
However, it didn't sit well with everyone. Warner Bros, who owns the film and TV rights for Harry Potter, sent them a cease and desist letter notifying them about copyright issues.
Covenant Coffee Manager Shelby Woolley said in a statement "We completely understand where Warner Bros. is coming from. As a nonprofit and a business, we get it. We wouldn't want others using our likeness either. After receiving their letter, we reached back out and asked for permission to continue and for a clear list of what we can and can't use moving forward."
Woolley adopted this tradition and it has been going on for four years she emphasizes "You can still come in and enjoy all the wizard-y vibes. Whether we continue this theme next year is still up in the air, but we complied, we understand, and we're okay with it."
As for Sasha and her kids, they hope the tradition continues.
"It's something we look forward to every year, whether it's done in October or December. It's a tradition me and my kids have, especially with them getting older. We found a way to incorporate activities together and it would really be missed if taken away." said Sasha
The company plans to continue this tradition as of now but is unsure about next year.
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