I agree with what @Zaboem says, nobody will care as long as you do it with a positive or neutral intention
You may do a parody, you may mention their work or Tapas product, but if you don't do it like ranting about'em or talking against their brand, they'll take it in a good way, cause it's a good free promotion of their work. Like fanart
And mail them informing the project you're willing to do is polite and may encourage someone to take a look on it, or even mention it, if they feel like it
From what I know by lawyers of the digital field, you have to ask about copyright if you are going to make money out of the work. You have to contact them and build up a contract. The negotiation will vary depending on the objective and how much profit you'll gonna make, or if it's for benefic porpuses, etc.