The King, the Lawyers, and the Cheese
(43 min, documentary by B. Maher)

The documentary is now available on DVD!

The not so cheesy story of an underground artist’s legal fight against Kraft to keep his punk rock name.

In March 2002, Kraft delivered a lawsuit to a Wicker Park artist and web designer known as King VelVeeda.  Kraft claimed that his website was unsavory and its content tarnished their trademark and caused irreparable harm.  The artist, Stu Helm, had inked anything from erotic covers for Screw Magazine to children illustrations for the Texas Board of Education.

The documentary, The King, the Lawyers, and the Cheese, follows the life of Stu Helm aka King VelVeeda during a yearlong court battle launched by Kraft Food Holdings.  The documentary captures the personal moments of the artist as he struggles to save his artistic name and questions Kraft’s definition of “wholesomeness.”